banana date bread

I'll admit...I've shared this recipe before. It was a long, long, time ago, way back in the first few months of Bella Eats' existence. I claimed then that this was the best quick bread I'd made...ever. And now, 2 years and many loaves later, I'm sticking to that statement. This recipe is at the tippy top of my list of favorites, loved so much that the old photographs just didn't do it justice. And so, when the baking urge hit me mid-afternoon last week (as it does most afternoons these days) I decided to capture new images of this old friend.

I love the melded scents of banana and cinnamon punctuated by sweet dates, which take on an almost caramel flavor. Diced apple keeps the bread wonderfully moist while adding its own, very subtle, sweetness. Made without oil, with whole wheat flour, and sweetened naturally, it is not absurd to have several slices of the loaf in one sitting without feeling guilty. Add a smear of almond butter to a thick slab and you have quite the hearty and filling breakfast or afternoon snack, while a quick zap in the microwave and a thin sliver of butter make for a lovely not-too-sweet dessert.

Happy Friday, Friends!

If you've been around since the beginning and already added this recipe to your repertoire, you might notice that I've made a small change in the ingredients. Instead of the 1/2 cup of applesauce previously present, I've substituted non-fat Greek yogurt. I've found that the overall texture is improved and the bread has a better, more shapely, rise. 

This loaf freezes quite well for up to 3 months if wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and again in foil. 

Banana Date Bread

makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup fat free, vanilla, Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup turbinado sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup peeled, chopped, tart apple
• 6 medjool dates, chopped
• 1-1/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350*F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, yogurt, sugar, egg, apple, and dates. 
3. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.  
5. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of bread comes clean. Cool in pan on rack for 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan and cool on rack completely before slicing.