This banana bread is made with heart-healthy olive oil, for a moist, flavorful loaf, that holds up to slicing, but still melts in your mouth.
It's a very, very rare thing for bananas to get fully ripe in my house.
We always go grocery shopping once a week, and I come home with a dozen almost-ripe bananas. My kids love them so much, they barely have a chance to turn yellow, and are usually the first grocery item we run out of each week.
I haven't seen spots on a banana in a coon's age.
Last week, however, my grocery store's pickup service gave me bananas that were already heavily spotted, and really good and ripe.
My 5 year old was horrified. "Mama! What's wrong with the bananas?!"
But I was already looking forward to what I knew we'd bake the next day. THIS banana bread.
It's a recipe that's loosely based on one I used to love in an old 1960's Better Homes and Gardens cook book. (That was back before I stopped eating so much sugar, and didn't know that "shortening" is the devil, and was trying to kill me.)
This one is a less sweet version of the original, and it's made with heart-healthy olive oil, instead of the shortening. The result is a soft, moist, flavorful loaf, that holds up to slicing, but still melts in your mouth.
Speaking of slicing--have you ever tried toasted banana bread? I'm pretty sure they serve it in heaven. I can't speak to whether this would hold up in a standard upright toaster or not (I don't own one), but toasted in a toaster oven, or under your oven's broiler, this banana bread reaches a really special level of sublime.
Try adding one of these favorite banana bread additions
I actually prefer this banana bread plain, but it's also wonderful with the inclusion of any of these fun add-ins. SO many things go well with the flavor of banana! Try adding:
- ⅓ cup of chopped walnuts or pecans
- ½ cup of cranberries, fresh or frozen
- 3 Tablespoons of orange zest
- ⅓ cup chocolate chips (mini chocolate chips work great!)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon of cardamom or cloves
- ⅓ cup dried chopped fruits, like apricots or dates
- ⅓ cup toasted rolled oats
Pecans or cranberries are some of my favorites. The kids prefer walnuts. Their absolute favorite mix-in though, is chocolate chips!
How should you store fresh banana bread?
A loaf of banana bread keeps its flavor and texture best, if left at room temperature. Unless the weather's especially hot, you can store it on the counter for about 3 days. Pop it into the fridge if it's not eaten by then.
Did you know you can freeze banana bread?
A well-wrapped loaf of banana bread can freeze beautifully, and keep its quality for about 4 months in the freezer. This site has great instructions on how to freeze banana bread.
I hope you and your family enjoy this quick and easy recipe as much as we do!
Bon Appétit!
📖 Recipe
Olive Oil Banana Bread
Equipment
- bread pan
- oven
Ingredients
- 2 ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 2 eggs
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¾ cups Einkorn flour (or regular all purpose flour)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ⅓ cup chopped walnuts or pecans, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Thoroughly grease a 9x5x3 bread pan, or line with parchment paper.
- Beat together bananas, oil, eggs, and sugar, until thoroughly mixed.
- Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder.
- Gently stir dry ingredients into banana mixture, until fully incorporated.
- Stir in nuts, if desired.
- Pour batter into prepared bread pan.
- Bake 50 minutes, or until top is golden brown, and center is set.
- Remove from pan, and cool on a rack before slicing.
- (This bread gets even better after resting several hours, if you can make yourself wait!)
Nutrition
Anna Chesley is a freelance writer living a homestead lifestyle, with a special love for family travel, old books, vintage skills, and seaside living. In addition to founding Salt In My Coffee, she runs the website, New England Family Life, as well as The 1800's Housewife, a website devoted to re-creating authentic 1800's recipes.
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