Hearty Peanut Butter Banana Bread

December 30, 2014 Corrie Anderson

Let it be known that between the dates of approximately December 8th to December 24th 25th 26th, my body composition consisted of 70% cookies, 10% caramel, 10% chocolate, 5% eggs, 3% oranges, and 2% water.

Maybe that's why I feel like December sprinted past me. I was in a cookie/candy coma.

While I had visions of myself presenting people with large platters of delectable, Martha Stewart-worthy Christmas cookies, the very thought of eating another baked good or candy actually increased my bloating exponentially. I really didn’t even want to taste the batter, and the batter is one of the best parts about baking!

It finally dawned on me. No one else wants any more Christmas goodies either. I mean no one who would normally get those sort of gifts, like your boss, your kids teacher, your trumpet teacher, or maybe even the vet who saved your dogs life. . .

So after I ruined a batch of Chocolate Espresso Caps, and who knows if they were ruined by the extra dose of baking powder that I accidently dumped in there, or if it was because there wasn’t enough flour (that’s my defensive guess!!!!!), I decided to stop.

I decided to go a different route. Breakfast!! Healthy!! (well, healthier...) Sustaining!! Peanut Butter Banana Bread + Pumpkin Pie Granola sounded like a good pair!

Plus, I’ve been experimenting with different types of flour, and I think I’m getting the hang of it. Truth be told, I was kind of excited/proud to present our vet with my homemade Hearty Peanut Butter Banana bread made with spelt and whole wheat flour. Most people would probably assume the bread would be dry and tasteless, well those people are ignorant, I say!! Oh and they are also in for a lovely treat!!!

The banana flavor is delectable and even with the heartier flours, the loaf is very light and fluffy! I borrowed a technique bestowed upon me by Cooks Illustrated and their lovely book The Science of Good Cooking. The technique is similar to sweating an eggplant and will give you delicious results every single time!

The spelt adds a nice nutty flavor in addition to the whole wheat flour. Spelt is a little bit more nutritionally dense than all-purpose flour with high levels of riboflavin and niacin, and while it is not gluten-free, those with wheat sensitivities might have an easier time tolerating spelt.

If you need a break from Christmas cookies and candy or you have a couple of ripe bananas that need to be used, you should most definitely make this bread! Please share your creation with me!! It would bring me so much joy! Take a photo of your beautiful banana bread, make sure you’re following me on Instagram, and tag @corrielanderson plus add #itsallofit so I can see how yummy it looks!

UPDATE: I told our vet about my cookie/candy realization and felt very affirmed with her reaction! She loved the bread and granola!

HEARTY PEANUT BUTTER BANANA BREAD

Recipe Authour: Corrie Anderson with a special nod to Cooks Illustrated and their lovely book, The Science of Good Cooking for their banana technique!

Recipe Type: Breakfast, Snack

Serves: 28, makes 1 large loaf and a pan of 12 generous mini muffins

Printable Recipe

3 cups ripe bananas (7-8 medium sized bananas)
3/4-cup plain yogurt
4 eggs
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup maple syrup
1/3 heaping cup of creamy peanut butter
1/3 heaping cup of freshly ground almond butter
6 tablespoons butter
1-teaspoon vanilla
1 cup spelt flour
1 ½ cup whole-wheat flour
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1-teaspoon salt
1-teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice

INSTRUCTIONS:

Put peeled bananas in to a microwave safe bowl, pop them into the microwave for about 7 minutes. Bananas will be bubbling. Place a fine-meshed strainer over a saucepan or a medium sized bowl. Pour bananas into strainer and mash them down a little bit. Let bananas sit for about fifteen minutes and stir frequently. You should end up with at least 1/3 cup – ½ cup liquid (maybe more!).
Preheat oven to 350°. Prepare loaf or muffin pans with butter to prevent sticking.
In the mean time, add flours, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and allspice to a medium sized bowl and mix ingredients until fully incorporated.
Next, put peanut butter, almond butter, and butter in a small bowl and microwave for about 30 seconds, just long enough for the almond butter loosen up.
Pour banana juice into a saucepan and cook over medium heat for about five minutes. Remove pan from heat, and pour banana mash and the liquid into a large bowl. Add yogurt, eggs, sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, and the three butters. Mix for about one minute. Add dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Scrape batter into pans and bake for about 50 minutes. When you tap the top of the muffins or loaf, it should bounce back quickly, that is how you know its done!

Serving Size: 1 Calories: 205 Fat: 6 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Carbohydrates: 34 g Sugar: 21 g Sodium: 161 mg Fiber: 3 g Protein: 5 g