Incredibly light & moist banana bread, made with whole wheat flour. Delicious whole wheat banana bread with pecans is delightfully nutty, easy to make, and tastes so good with rye flour!EASY - This recipe is very easy and perfect for beginners. It's also a great way to use up overripe bananas.US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Common Measurement Conversions. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results.
115gbrown butteruse avocado oil or olive oil if you prefer, see recipe notes
1 ½tbspdry milk powderif making brown butter, optional
130gdark brown sugar⅔ cups
½tspsalt
60gsour cream¼ cup
2large eggsroom temperature
2tspvanilla extract
225gwhole wheat flour1 ⅓ cup spooned and leveled, I like to use half whole wheat and half rye flour
1tspbaking soda
1tspbaking powder
1tspground cinnamon
½tspallspice
½tspcardamom
½tspnutmeg
115gpecansroughly chopped, about 1 cup
To decorate
Maldon sea flakes
Extra chopped nuts
Granulated sugar or raw sugar
1bananasliced into ½ inch slices, or sliced in half lengthwise
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F /180°C. Prepare a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan by buttering and flouring it, or lining it with parchment paper. Set aside until needed.
Mash the bananas in a bowl using a fork. The banana mix can be smooth or chunky. Set aside.
To make brown butter
Melt about 115 g butter in a saucepan over medium heat. You can add dry milk powder when the butter starts to foam (optional). Stir the dry milk powder (if using) into the butter mixture, and continue to cook until the milk solids start to turn dark golden brown. Remove from the heat and transfer to a bowl. Add an ice cube (about 1 - 3 tbsp of water) to cool down the butter mixture. It can be used while still warm.
To make the banana bread batter
Whisk the brown butter (or oil), sugar, and salt together in a bowl until you have a smooth mixture.
Add the sour cream, and whisk it in until well mixed.
Mix in the mashed bananas.
Add the eggs and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.
Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg together (these are the dry ingredients).
Add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, in two additions, and fold them in until just combined.
Add the pecans before all of the flour is incorporated into the batter, and fold in the pecans. Do NOT overmix the batter as this can result in the banana bread being rubbery in texture.
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan, and spread it evenly in the pan.
Sprinkle chopped pecans on top, along with a sprinkle of raw sugar and maldon salt (optional).
OR, place the sliced bananas on top with a sprinkle of raw sugar and maldon salt (optional).
Place the loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 60 - 70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes. Turn the loaf out onto a cooling wire rack and let it cool more on the wire rack.
Serve warm or at room temperature. You can also toast room temperature or cold banana bread before serving.
Notes
Storage
Banana bread will keep in an airtight container for about 5 - 7 days in the fridge, or 2 - 3 days at room temperature.With both methods, make sure the banana bread is COMPLETELY COOLED DOWN before storing away. Also keep a piece of paper towel at the bottom of the container to prevent the banana bread from getting too soggy.To store in the freezer - Banana bread should be well wrapped in plastic wrap, and then wrapped with foil, and stored in the freezer for up to 2 - 3 months. Slice the bread before freezing, so you can thaw out only a few slices at a time.
Replacing the butter
Instead of brown butter, you can also use regular melted or softened butter. You can also use oil instead.Olive oil, coconut oil, and avocado oil are healthier options, but canola oil has a neutral taste.
Replacing the sugar
If you prefer your banana bread to be less sweet, use 100 g of brown sugar. And instead of 125 g of brown sugar, you can also use the same amount of coconut sugar, or 100 g honey or maple syrup.
Replacing sour cream
Replace sour cream with full fat Greek yogurt.For a dairy free or vegan option, use coconut yogurt.