What’s Cooking? Banana-bran bread

Banana bran bread on eatlivetravelwrite.comI don’t know about you but I’m kind of “done” with the winter. Yes, yes, I know the days are getting longer (although when you get up at 5.30 it doesn’t make much difference) but it’s just been so cold and dreary lately… getting out of bed has been hard.  Even the prospect of breakfast (which is my favourite meal of the day) doesn’t do much to motivate me to move from under the warm covers and in recent weeks, I’ve been pushing it an extra 5 minutes here and there, meaning some mornings I don’t actually have a chance to eat breakfast at home – and sometimes I forget (or don’t have the time) to pack something to bring to work with me. Which in the miserable winter makes me even more miserable.  So I am always on the lookout for portable breakfasts!

Sliced banana bran bread on eatlivetravelwrite.comI’ve always been a fan of banana bread, mostly because I feel it’s kind of “breakfast in a slice” although far too often, I’ll admit that I love banana bread because it’s like cake 😉  The thing about banana bread is that it’s not always that filling which doesn’t make it ideal as a breakfast food.  For this month’s Kraft #whatscooking assignment, I’ve decided to celebrate National Banana Bread Day (February 23rd in case you were wondering) by creating a hearty, healthier version of one of my favourite portable breakfasts. I spent a bit of time cruising the Kraft Canada banana bread recipes and found one I liked the sound of – banana bran loaf.

Banana bread with bran and oats on eatlivetravelwrite.comI’ve adapted the recipe so mine contains flax, oat bran, oats and wheatgerm as well as o% plain Greek yoghurt. It’s sweetened with honey and I have used much less than I normally would if I was using sugar. Much as I love my “cakey” banana bread, breakfast probably isn’t the place to eat a ton of sugar.

Banana bread with oatbran oats flax and wheatgerm on eatlivetravelwrite.com

Banana bran bread
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A hearty banana bread packed with goodness that really satisfies!
Author:
Serves: makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons Magic Baking Powder
  • ¼ cup ground flax seeds
  • ¼ cup oat bran
  • ¼ cup wheat germ
  • ¼ cup large flake oats
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ cup 0% plain Greek yoghurt
  • ¼ cup skim milk
  • ¼ cup honey
  • 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  2. Butter a 9x5 inch loaf tin.
  3. Mix flour, baking powder, flax, oat bran, wheat germ and oats in a large bowl.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, oil, yoghurt, milk and honey until well combined.
  5. Gently stir the bananas into the wet ingredients.
  6. Using a wooden spoon, slowly incorporate the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  7. Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan.
  8. Bake approximately 1 hour or until skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean (I usually start checking my loaf after 45 minutes).
  9. Cool in pan 15 minutes.
  10. Remove from pan and place on wire cooling rack until completely cooled.

 

Banana bran bread with oats flax and wheatgerm on eatlivetravelwrite.com

Kraft What's Cooking contributorVerdict? This is a really hearty bread – you can tell it’s got healthy stuff in in according to my in-house taste-tester, Mr Neil 😉  It’s definitely not as sweet as we are used to but that’s ok for a breakfast loaf. It’s great re-heated in the microwave for a few seconds just to give it a little more moisture when it’s a day or so old. Best of all? It’s a GREAT portable breakfast. So I can steal those extra few minutes in my warm bed on a cold winter’s morning 😉

Disclosure: As a Kraft Canada #whatscooking contributor, I receive compensation for writing these posts, however, all opinions are 100% my own.

 

Canadian giveaway: Win a copy of Ottolenghi, the Cookbook. Closes Wednesday February 19th at 6pm EST.

7 thoughts on “What’s Cooking? Banana-bran bread”

  1. Mardi *carefully* omitted that this was the second try. First one was WAY too healthy – and tasted as such.

    This one is good. YES, not that sweet…but I agree with Mardi, and am happy to cut down on the sugar, especially at breakfast. This is really nice after a few seconds in the microwave.

    Reply

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