Double Duty Banana Bread

I have many recipes for delicious banana bread but many of them use buttermilk, yogurt or sour cream as a moistening and tenderizing agent in addition to eggs. Many people have told me that they would love to have a recipe that doesn’t use any dairy at all. As I was developing this recipe, I went a step further and created something that does not have eggs either…yes, you guessed it, a totally vegan banana bread, and it is so delicious you would never know the difference.

There are just a few things to remember…make sure your bananas are very ripe to get the best banana flavor and add only banana extract instead of vanilla to make it even more delicious and flavorful. Another trick I also learned along the way was that whenever you use fruit purees to make bread or cakes, only use baking soda…this reacts well with the fruit puree and creates a beautifully risen peak on each loaf or muffin instead of remaining low and flat…a beautifully peaked loaf or muffin makes a more beautiful presentation. When I added baking powder, they did not rise nearly as much.

I decided to make a plain banana muffin and loaf, but feel free to add chocolate chips or any nut of your choice to create your own amazing recipe. A streusel topping would also be great if you did not mind the addition of the butter. 

Vegan Banana Bread (1-10”loaf pan)

2 cups banana puree minus 2 tablespoons  (14 oz)

¼ cup canola oil (1.5 oz)(use part walnut oil for an amazing flavor)

2 tablespoons banana extract

1- 1/3 cups granulated sugar

2 cups flour (10.5 oz)

½ teaspoon salt

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda

2 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

¼ teaspoon cloves

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup mini chocolate chips **optional

½ cup roasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat your oven to 375°F. Add all of your wet ingredients into one bowl and set aside. Add all of the dry ingredients into another bowl and sift, then add this into the wet ingredients and mix until all are well incorporated. Spray your loaf pan well and pour in your batter. Bake at 375°F for about 10 minutes and then turn down the heat to 350° for another 20-30 minutes until a toothpick in the center tests clean.