Ingredient notes

• Flour: I use a mix of freshly ground spelt and wheat. But, I have also tested this recipe using 100% store-bought whole wheat flour. The bread tastes a little less nutty and is a little less dense in my experience. Tastes just as good, though!
• Bananas: Make sure your bananas are very ripe! You want lots of brown spots or even almost all brown skin. That’s how the bread comes out flavourful and sweet.
• Honey: I prefer a runny, mild honey for this recipe. Maple syrup would be an acceptable substitute. If you want to use a sugar alcohol like Xylitol in place of the honey, I will tell you that I haven’t tried myself. I would go for 1/3 cup Xylitol (or other granulated sweetener) plus 2 tablespoons more oil (or milk) to make up for the removed liquid.
• Oil: I like making this recipe with melted coconut oil. But you can use any mild oil you have on hand, or use melted butter. If you want to make a lower fat bread, use 5 tablespoons Greek yogurt and only 1 tablespoon oil. The bread comes out a little heavier for me this way.
• Optional topping: I didn’t add this to the ingredient list, because it’s absolutely not mandatory to make it (and I mostly make the bread without! My oldest child will only eat banana bread with a streusel topping though, so when I don’t have anything else for her on hand I will add the nutty topping). The topping consists of pecan nuts, oil and either 1 tablespoon sucanat or 1 tablespoon Xylitol.

Topping recipe

• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/2 tablespoon oil (or more if topping seems too dry)
• 1 tablespoon Sucanat OR other granulated sweetener such as Xylitol or brown sugar

Recipe tips

• Make sure to measure your flour correctly: Spoon into the measuring cup, then level with the back of a knife. Otherwise you might add too much flour, ending up with a dry bread.
• Don’t forget to preheat your oven while you’re preparing the banana bread batter. The bread needs to go into a hot oven, else the baking powder cannot work correctly.
• Do not overmix the batter, you will end up with a too-dense and gummy loaf. Also, never use a whisk to combine the wet and the dry ingredients! Always use a wooden spoon or spatula, else you will quickly overmix the batter.
• Don’t forget to cover the bread with baking parchment or aluminium foil after around 25-30 minutes of baking IF you add the topping. Otherwise, it will end up too dark and burnt around the edges.
• Make sure to allow the loaf to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. The texture really is better vs right out of the oven.