The short answer to how to make moist, delicious banana bread without butter is to use half and half--which is half milk and half cream. The half and half provides just enough fat to keep the breads moist and to soften the whole grains in the batter. I use readily available ingredients in the breads--whole-wheat flour, raisin bran, and quick oats--which increase the fiber in the loaves as well as giving them great texture and taste. Warm spices provide more flavor, and, of course, bananas are the featured ingredient. For this recipe, you want bananas that are quite ripe--a little mushy is just fine! The bananas will provide additional sweetness to the breads, and the riper the bananas, the better they are! Try the breads for breakfast, as a snack, or as an evening treat. Enjoy!
No Butter Whole Grain Banana Breads -- Makes 2 Loaves
3 cups of half and half
2 large eggs
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
2 very ripe mashed bananas (about a cup)
1 cup of raisin bran
1/2 cup of quick oats
1 cup of whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of allspice
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1/4 -1/2 cup of raisins (depending on how much you like them)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat two medium loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray or line the pans with aluminum foil and spritz the foil with spray for easy bread removal. In a large bowl whisk together well the half and half, eggs, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk or stir in the mashed bananas. Stir in the raisin bran and oats until combined. Then stir in the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices until combined. Fold in the raisins. Divide the batter between the two pans. Bake the loaves for about an hour or until a pick inserted in the center of a loaf comes out with no wet batter attached (a few crumbs are fine). Let the breads cool in their pans for 15-20 minutes before removing them to cool completely.
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