Mom’s Banana Nut Bread

Bananas at market

By Cat, June 2010  (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

Includes: 1. Mom’s Banana Nut Bread (Traditional Method); 2. Mom’s Banana Nut Bread (Pre-Soak Method, not yet tested)

See also: 1.  Banana Cake; 2. Sourdough Banana Nut Bread; 3. Bread & Rolls Menu; 4. Cakes, Tortes & Quick-Breads Menu

When I was a kid, Mom used to make banana nut bread for me when my class had a bake sale. When I got old enough to bake, I carried on the tradition, using her recipe from her Occident Family Flour baking book (Home Baking Made Easy; see Beloved Cookbooks for more).

When I was on my own, I didn’t have access to that baking book, so I used a whole wheat version in the Tassajara Bread Book by Edward Epse Brown, another of my Beloved Cookbooks. However, that recipe doesn’t use any butter or oil, and is fairly heavy; I never liked it as much as Mom’s recipe.

Banana nut bread is perhaps my favorite quick bread, but I haven’t made it in a long time.  Instead, I make a banana nut cake using the pre-soaked flour method. I recently got a sourdough starter, and am learning how to use it. I found two sourdough versions to try, and adapted one of them to a true fermented sourdough; so far I’m still testing these.

Mom’s Banana Nut Bread (Traditional Method)

This recipe is adapted from my Mom’s favorite baking baking book: the Occident Family Flour Cookbook (vintage 1940s). [2014 note: That is the name by which I’ve always known the book, but when I found one online in 2013, I saw that its actual name is Home Baking Made Easy. see Beloved Cookbooks for more].

The only changes I’ve made to the original recipe are to use real butter instead of shortening; Rapadura sugar instead of white sugar; to specify aluminum-free baking powder; to use unrefined sea salt (I use Real Salt) instead of table salt; and to recommend presoaking the nuts.

If you wish to  use stevia instead of sugar:  use ⅛ – ¼ tsp stevia extract powder, and stir that into  ½ tsp lemon juice until it dissolves, then stir that into the mashed bananas, mixing well. Let rest about 5 minutes before adding the banana mixture to the batter.

In the Pre-Soak version (below), I use whole wheat flour, presoaked overnight in the sour milk or buttermilk.

Makes 1 large loaf. 

Ingredients & Equipment 

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup Rapadura sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 ½ cups unbleached white flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
• ⅛ tsp unrefined sea salt
• ⅓ cup nuts (preferably pre-soaked & dried or toasted)
• ¼ cup sour milk or buttermilk

Equipment

• 2 bowls
• 9” x 5” loaf pan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter loaf pan.
2. Cream butter; add sugar and cream well. Add eggs and beat thoroughly.
3. Mash bananas and add to butter mixture.
4. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the nuts.
5. Add flour mixture alternately with the milk, to the banana mixture.
6. Pour into buttered pan and bake about 50 minutes.

Mom’s Banana Nut Bread (Pre-soaked Flour Method)

This recipe is adapted from the above recipe. Makes 1 large loaf. Not yet tested.

I have not modified the recipe to use stevia instead of sugar; however, if you wish to do that, use ⅛ – ¼ tsp stevia extract powder, and stir that into the mashed bananas, mixing well. It can be hard to disperse the stevia throughout the batter, first dissolve the stevia in ½ tsp lemon juice, then stir that into the mashed bananas.

Ingredients & Equipment 

Pre-soak:

• 1 ½ cups whole wheat or spelt flour
• ½ cup sour milk or buttermilk *

* OR 2 Tbsp plain yogurt mixed with 2 Tbsp boiling water and ¼ cup milk, cooled

Next Day:

• ¼ cup butter
• ¼ cup Rapadura sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 bananas, mashed
• ¾ cup unbleached white flour, plus up to ¼ cup more, as needed
• ¼ cup coconut flour
• ¼ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp baking powder (aluminum-free)
• ⅛ tsp unrefined sea salt
• ⅓ cup nuts (preferably pre-soaked & dried or toasted)

Equipment

• 2 bowls
• waxed paper
• 9” x 5” loaf pan

Method:

Pre-soak:

1. Pour sour milk/buttermilk (or yogurt/milk mixture) into bowl.
2. Stir in whole wheat flour. Press waxed paper against the surface of the batter; cover with a cloth and let rest on the counter overnight.

Next Day:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter loaf pan.
2. Cream butter; add sugar and cream well. Add eggs and mashed bananas, and beat thoroughly.
3. Stir butter mixture into pre-soaked mixture.
4. Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Stir in the nuts, then stir into the batter.
5. Pour into buttered pan and bake about 50 minutes.

References: 

1. Home Baking Made Easy, by Virginia Roberts, Director Occident Home Baking Institute. Copyright 1944 and originally published by Russell-Miller Milling Co., Minneapolis MN. I usually refer to this book as the Occident Family Flour Baking Book, which is what it was always called in our house when I was growing up.