Whole Grain Chocolate Banana Bread
I love baking with spelt flour! It's a higher-protein, ancient grain that works beautifully in quick breads and muffins and has a complex, sweeter flavor and lighter texture than that of whole wheat flour.
I baked loaves of this healthy banana bread as a pre-test class snack last year when my then-3rd-grader had to take her first state-wide standardized tests, but I used a total of 1 and 3/4 cups spelt flour and omitted the hazelnut flour. The testing days were long and I wanted to provide all of the kids with a snack that was dairy-free and nut-free for the allergic kiddos, tasty enough that they would really enjoy it, and nourishing enough that it would provide a sustained source of energy that would help them focus for hours.
It did the trick! Although there were no gluten-free kiddos in that classroom - do keep in mind that spelt flour is not gluten-free. If nut allergies are not an issue, using 1 cup hazelnut flour and 1 cup spelt flour instead of 1 3/4 cups spelt flour creates a richer, more nutrient-dense bread.
Recipe inspired by www.cookieandkate.com
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Whole Grain Chocolate Banana Bread Recipe
Whole Grain Chocolate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/3 cup avocado oil
- 2 large bananas (peeled)
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup hazelnut flour*
- 1 cup spelt flour*
- 1 cup dairy-free, semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
- Lightly oil a standard-size, non-stick loaf pan.
- In a small bowl, mash the bananas together with a fork until lumpy and slightly liquified.
- In a separate, medium bowl, whisk the sugar and avocado oil until blended. Add the eggs and beat until smooth. Add the bananas and milk and whisk to blend, then add the baking soda, cinnamon, vanilla and salt and whisk to blend. With a rubber spatula, mix in the flours a little at a time until combined. Add the chocolate chips and stir, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the top.
- Pour the batter into the oiled loaf pan, evening out the top with the spatula. Sprinkle the top with chocolate chips.
- Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick placed into the center comes out clean.
- Remove from heat and cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before removing from loaf pan.
Notes
- If nut allergies are not an issue, using 1 cup hazelnut flour and 1 cup spelt flour instead of 1 3/4 cups spelt flour creates a richer, more nutrient-dense bread.
- Recipe inspired by www.cookieandkate.com
Nutrition Facts
Calories
294Fat
19Sat. Fat
5Carbs
28Fiber
4Net carbs
24Sugar
14Protein
5Sodium
203Cholesterol
29