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Whole Wheat Banana Bread

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This recipe come from The King Arthur Flour 200th Anniversary Cookbook and it’s definitely my favorite banana bread recipe. I never used to use whole wheat wheat flour in quick breads but I think it really adds to the flavor (and nutrition) in this bread. The only changes I make to the original recipe are to occasionally add equal parts wheat germ and applesauce (about 1/4 cup each). Here is the recipe:

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

1/2 C. (1 stick) butter
1 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 C. mashed ripe banana (2 or 3 bananas)
1 t. vanilla
2 C. King Arthur Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/2 C chopped walnuts (optional, pecans are also good)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.
3. Add the eggs, bananas and vanilla (plus applesauce if using) and beat well.
4. In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt (plus wheat germ if using).
5. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. At this point, add the chopped nuts if using.
6. Pour this mixture into a greased, 9×5-inch loaf pan and bake for 60 minutes. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes then take it out and let cool on wire rack.
7. Enjoy!

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    Comments

    2. Brady says

      Delicious! I added a little flaxseed and some chocolate chips instead of nuts. Very nice. I think the sugar could be decreased a little without hurting the results, but it's delicious as is.
      Reply

    4. Jaspenelle says

      I have been looking for a good whole wheat banana bread recipe for awhile. I love this one! I added a little flaxseed and no nuts and it is still delicious.
      Reply

    5. Laura says

      This recipe is so wonderful. I cut the sugar to 2/3 cup, added 12 cup of ground flaxseed meal and a half cup of applesauce. I also skipped the nuts (allergies) and added chocolate chips to the mix. They were so moist and so nutritious!! And, my son's third grade class loved them!!!
      Reply

    7. Shagun says

      this recipe was a pleasant surprise...i was a bit skeptical if it would actually taste good... not only did it taste good, but is probably the best banana bread recipe ever - this is my opinion and the opinion of my roommates and coworkers :) i made it just as it says here using 3 big bananas (love the taste of banana!) and landolakes spreadable butter with canola oil.
      Reply

    8. Nicole says

      I've used a very similar recipe to sneak more whole grains into the kids diet. I decreased the sugar to 1/2 cup & used white whole wheat flour (king arthur) and added 3T ground flax. They gobble it down every time...so do I! Thanks for the post.
      Reply

    9. char says

      Can you convert this to a bread machine recipe??? I have arthritis and cannot use my hands to knead the bread, so I have to use the machine. Would love to make this for my family.
      Reply

    10. Silvia says

      Hello, First time checking out your site...lots of recipes that I can't wait to try!! I was baking my Oma's Banana Bread Recipe when half way trhough I realized I did not have all purpose flour. I called my dad, who lives 2 minutes away, who brought me over whole wheat flour. I thought..."Oh, no,not whole wheat!" Yet, what else could I do, but give it a try. I googled some whole wheat banana bread recipes and found your's that contains the same ingredients (minus the nuts and apple sauce) as my original recipe. I baked it for 1 hour and 12 minutes (gas stove - does that make a difference??) and it tastes delicious (minus the nuts and apple sauce)! I think I might have to convert this recipe to whole wheat from now on!! Silvia
      Reply

    11. Christina says

      I've been looking for a healthier banana bread so I decided to try this tonight. It's amazing. I added the applesauce and wheat germ too. I only added 2 bananas but I think it could have used one more. I also baked it in a 8x8 dish instead of the loaf pan and only had to bake it for about 45 mins. Thanks for the great recipe!!
      Reply

    12. Twyla Dush says

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      Reply

    13. Skirnir Hamilton says

      I make this recipe all the time. My modifications are 1/3 olive oil rather than the 1/2 cup butter. A bit more banana to make up for the less oil and splenda for the sugar and sometimes about every third time I make it I add a 1/2 cup raisins. I don't tend to do nuts in my banana bread. And my family loves and adores it. Nothing stirs up faster and I love to make it in mini loaf pans and then cook for a shorter time period. :)
      Reply

    14. Jennifer Stead says

      I was Blown Away by this recipe!! The flour makes a fantastic texture and density. I used coconut oil, which worked really quite well, and brown sugar as I cannot fathom making BB with white *L* I plan on trying coconut palm sugar next time. Sooooooo Tasty!
      Reply

    15. Monique Ashby says

      Thanks for the idea of using Olive oil. I have a big bottle of I've that was given to me and didn't know any recipes I could use it in. Right now butter is around $6 for a lb of butter. I would rather use the olive oil.
      Reply

    16. Ryan says

      I had this cook book when I was a teen in the 90s and remember this recipe was the most used in the book. One of my favorite banana breads. I found a perfect copy of this book in a used bookstore recently and bought it. I don’t like all the tinkering they’ve done to the banana bread recipes in the newer King Arthur books and online as much. To preserve my used King Arthur book from all the stains my old one had I printed this recipe to use when I make it.
      Reply

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