Banana Bread

I love to bake and I love a challenge. Since having kids, I've given myself the challenge of baking treats that make us say "yum" and are filled with wholesome ingredients. This afternoon I made these loaves of banana bread and I thought I would share the recipe with you. It's the Banana Bread recipe my mom made growing up with a few tweaks of my own. 

Because baking and cooking are healthy and happy parts of my daily rhythms, I will be sharing more recipes. One thing you will notice in most of my baked goods is I rarely cook with eggs. I often replace eggs in my quick breads and cookie recipes with a flax egg. To make a flax egg, mix 1 Tablespoon of ground flax with 3 Tablespoons of water. Let it sit in a bowl for about 10 minutes to allow the flax to absorb the water and then add the mixture to your recipe just like you would an egg.

Now the questions I often am asked, why do I use flax eggs instead of chicken eggs. There are a few reasons why. Research shows that flax seed is filled with cancer fighting, immune boasting compounds and that these compounds are released by grinding the seeds up. Ground flax is filled with Omega-3, fiber, and antioxidants. Not only that, but the flax egg gives the baked goods a yummy nutty taste that I just love. Buying pre-ground flax can really increase the price so I head to the bulk section of my favorite grocery store and buy it in seed form. I then clean out my coffee grinder and grind it up. I store it in a glass jar in the refrigerator as ground flax seed can go rancid when stored on the shelf. So if you've never tried using flax eggs before, this recipe is a great place to start.

Banana Bread

1 1/4 Cup Sugar
3/4 Cup of Butter
4 Flax Eggs (I make all four flax eggs in one bowl. That's 4 T ground flax seed mixed with 12 T water. You can also use 4 eggs)
5 Ripe Bananas
1/4 Cup Applesauce
4 Cups Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x5 two loaf pans.
2. Cream butter, sugar, and flax egg together. Once fluffy, add ripe bananas and applesauce. Mix until bananas are all mashed up.
3. Mix in flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix just until ingredients are combined. Sometimes we add chocolate chips or blueberries at this point.
4. Divide equally between the two loaf pans. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until the center can be poked with a knife and come out clean.
5. Enjoy! Our favorite is fresh from the oven with butter on top!