I got a little over zealous during a recent sale on organic bananas and bought a few too many. So, what do you do when you have over-ripe b
ananas? Make banana bread of course. There is really nothing better than enjoying a slice with a cup of coffee, especially when it is a healthy version of this classic treat. In this recipe, I used whole wheat flour and oats to add fiber and protein. I also added chia seeds, a favorite ingredient. I usually add chia to my smoothies, because I assumed that the high heat from baking would degrade the nutritional quality of these little seeds. After some research, I discovered that there is no evidence to suggest that toasting or baking chia seed, particularly when incorporated into flour for breads, pizza, etc. significantly impacts the nutritional quality. Good news too because chia is full of high quality protein, fiber, and omega-3-fatty acids. Overall, this bread tastes like a treat but will also keep you full. I used honey as the sweetener but I think that brown sugar might work better. Please share if you have any tweaks that work out well.
Oatmeal Banana Bread with Chia
Print recipe
| Serves: | 10 |
| Prep time: | 15 minutes |
| Cook time: | 1 hour |
| Total time: | 1 hours, 15 minutes |
| Region: | Worldwide |
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 1 cup oats
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 teaspoons canola oil
- 3 medium eggs
- 3 large, ripe bananas
- 1 heaped tablespoon chia seed
Directions
| Step 1 | Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, stir together dry ingredients including the oats and cinnamon. |
| Step 2 | In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs and then mix in the banana and oil. If you banana is very ripe you can do this step by mashing as you go with a fork. If bananas are not as ripe, mash with a potato masher before mixing in with the egg. |
| Step 3 | Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl. |
| Step 4 | Combine all ingredients together and mix thoroughly. The batter will be think. |
| Step 5 | Pour into a loaf pan and bake for approximately 60 minutes at 350F. Let cool and serve. |
How do you make banana bread?
Mmm…this looks delicious, I love the addition of the chia seeds! Since I have some bananas I need to use us, I think I might need to make a glutne-free version of this for breakfast tomorrow.Thanks so much for nominating me for the Versatile Blogger Award-I’m quite honored
I made this recipes as muffins. I substituted the canola oil with applesauce and I added a little brown sugar based on your suggestion. They are really good and my kids like them!
I love your substitution Sarah! Great idea. Definitely cuts the calories and adds some more vitamins and minerals. I think this as muffins would be great in lunchboxes.