Let's turn a favorite childhood sandwich, peanut butter and banana, into a whole wheat quick bread for a tasty snack or easy breakfast. This low-fat bread gets its moisture from Greek yogurt and mashed bananas.
At the risk of completely embarrassing my husband and myself, and possibly subjecting ourselves to much finger-pointing and snickering, I thought I would entertain you with a family Halloween photo. Our younger son (T) was our caped crusader, protecting us from crime and wrongdoing, while our elder son (M) freaked out everyone in his path (including his own mother when he silently stole into my room at nighttime).
We heard all the jokes yesterday: "Hey, why aren't your kids dressed up as relish and mayo?", "I guess we better not squeeze you too hard" and "Ooo, get on my hamburger." You have to hand it to our kids...they managed not to be completely mortified by the presence of their parents.
Trick-or-treating lasted a record 2 ½ hours last night, and the kids had a ball sprinting from house to house, with the occasional rest break to rummage through their bags and snack on a piece of candy...or five. When we got home, my husband and I collapsed on the couch and watch the kids count and categorize their candy (chocolate bars, gummy candies, gum, lollipops...) It was a success!
Now, let's move on to this quick bread. I found a recipe on the Cooking Light site, then immediately set about making it lower in fat and sugar and higher in fiber than the original. A few changes I made were changing the all-purpose flour to whole wheat pastry flour, substituting canola oil for butter, reducing the sugar, and increasing the bananas. I also left off the glaze that they used on top of the bread.
The result? A very moist and tender bread, rich with the flavors of peanut butter and banana. The sweetness was just right and I didn't miss the glaze at all.
This would be perfect as an after school snack, or as an easy breakfast on a busy morning.
The recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, with a hand mixer), combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, peanut butter and canola oil. Mix on medium speed until combined.
Add the granulated and brown sugars, and mix again until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Beat until just combined.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan sharply two times on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve.
Other whole wheat quick bread or muffin recipes:
Banana Blueberry Muffins
Whole Wheat Pumpkin Spice Latte Muffins
Lemon, Yogurt Berry & Ginger Whole Wheat Quick Bread
Peanut Butter & Banana Whole Wheat Quick Bread Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 medium ripe bananas well mashed
- ⅓ cup non-fat plain Greek yogurt
- ⅓ cup crunchy peanut butter
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- ⅓ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 ½ cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons ground flax seed flax meal
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (or in a large bowl, with a hand mixer), combine the mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, peanut butter and canola oil. Mix on medium speed until combined.
- Add the granulated and brown sugars, and mix again until combined.
- Add the eggs one at a time, beating between each addition.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, ground flax seed, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture to the banana mixture. Beat until just combined.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Tap the pan sharply two times on the counter to get rid of any air bubbles.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, approximately 1 hour. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Remove from the pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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probiotic-for-kids
I am regular reader, how are you everybody? This article posted at this web site is in fact pleasant.
Leigh
Ditto! Can I use regular whole wheat flour and substitute the flax meal with something else?
Thanks!
Nata
Hi,
I don't have flax meal or whole wheat pastry flour where I live. Are there any possible substitutes for these two ingredients?
Thank you!
marla
Love this recipe! Will be linking back to this in my upcoming post 🙂
David Crichton
I could murder a slice of this when I get in from the gym. Looks so satisfying and healthy(ish). Delicious.
Katherine
If I don't have the flax meal, can I use something like wheat germ in its place? Or should it just be left out?
Lisa@sixtyone45
Looks delicious!! I have some very ugly black bananas in my freezer begging to be transformed! I can't believe how little oil it calls for - fantastic! Will be whipping this up first thing Monday morning!
Erin @ Texanerin Baking
Fun Halloween costumes! 🙂
And peanut butter banana bread sounds amazing! I wish I weren't allergic to bananas. I used to absolutely love peanut butter on bananas. Best snack ever. Love how moist this looks!
ika
hello there, what happen if I don't add greek yogurt in it? Is it gonna be a major difference? Thanks
Dara (Cookin' Canuck)
Hi Ika, I don't recommend leaving out the Greek yogurt. It adds to the texture and moistness of the bread, and will effect the amount of liquid in the recipe. You can try substituting applesauce. However, I haven't actually tried that substitution, so can't guarantee the result.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme
Absolutely love your costumes! And this peanut butter-banana bread. Sounds really delicious.
carolinaheartstrings
What a great memory this will be! Very cute. This recipe is the perfect combination of flavors. Delicious.
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar
This sounds so lovely! And I LOVE all of your costumes. What a fun family!
jacquie
a belated happy halloween. it looks like you all had a great time. seeing your son in the dark unexpectedly would certainly of freaked me out also. the recipe looks great and i would love to try it but i don't often have bannan's in the house. Do you think it would work ok subsitituting homemade unstweeted applesauce or pumpkin? thanks.
Jessica@AKitchenAddiction
This sounds wonderful! I love quick breads and this one looks perfect for breakfast!
Rachel Cooks
LOVE the Halloween costumes! Too fun! And the bread looks fantastic--love that it has PB in it.
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet
I love sweet breads with yoghurt! This one looks delcious! The family photo is adorable :))
Alison @ Ingredients, Inc.
yes please Dara! Looks amazing! Happy friday
Tara @ Chip Chip Hooray
I'm glad your family had such a fun Halloween! I love having quick breads around for a grab-and-go breakfast...this is definitely next on my list. 🙂
marla
That family photo has me giggle every time I look at it!!! Love you and your adorable family!! This quick bread looks like the perfect breakfast + snack 🙂