Recipe #9: Banana Walnut Bread - Mini Loafs

I’ve never really been a big fan of banana bread, but the other day we had a couple spare bananas sitting on the counter and I thought it would be a great chance to try a different version of a weekday morning breakfast snack. I like to bake up a batch of either muffins or corn bread on the weekend and then toss them in the freezer. We each grab one in the morning to take to work, then pop it into the micro for a few seconds to warm it up. We have really been enjoying the Oatmeal Carrot Muffins for a while now, but it’s always nice to mix it up a little.

The recipe I found was a simple one (in the Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook, which can also be found online), and instead of making one loaf, I divided the batter to make 7 (not quite enough for 8) individual mini loafs. And, because I had some sitting on the counter, I added walnuts for a bit of crunch. I also substituted out the ¼ cup of vegetable oil with ½ cup of yogurt (usually vanilla, but a flavoured one could be a nice compliment). This helps reduce the fat content and keeps the bread moist.

I made this recipe again this past weekend, and when I looked at the page opposite, there was an actual recipe for Banana Walnut Bread, and I was surprised at how much this one differed. I was stubborn and still made the other version and still added the walnuts. And I still only got 7 loafs out of it… maybe I should try the other version next time.

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
2-3 mashed bananas
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 vanilla yogurt
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS
PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.

MIX all dry ingredients, not including the sugar, in a bowl together.

MASH bananas and mix with sugar, egg, vanilla, yogurt, and lemon zest (optional). Fold in chopped walnuts.

POUR into a loaf pan sprayed with cooking spray (or muffin tray with paper linings), and bake for 50-55 minutes.