Who fancies freshly baked breakfast banana bread to start your morning? It’s just fabulous toasted and spread with peanut butter. This recipe is more of a bread than a cake and isn’t too sweet, though it does have a wee bit of honey in it.
Healthy Breakfast Banana Bread
I first made this breakfast banana bread for a fairtrade fortnight breakfast feast. I’ve been baking it ever since. It’s super easy to prepare and it makes great toast the day after baking. It contains little in the way of fat and there’s no refined sugar. In fact the only sweetener other than the bananas is a little bit of honey.
So how did I come up with my breakfast banana bread? I was initially inspired by the picture of Danni’s banana bread from her book Hungry Healthy Happy. Slices are spread with peanut butter, which is such a seductive idea.
I decided to create a barely sweet, dairy free and less cakey version of this classic bake. Something we could easily slice, toast and eat for breakfast. And most importantly. slather with peanut butter, specifically the Fairtrade organic peanut butter from Equal Exchange. Although these days, I tend to use my own homemade peanut butter.
The first time I made this breakfast banana bread I used sprouted spelt flour and some of Equal Exchange’s fragrant floral honey. However, since that first time I’ve used ordinary wholemeal spelt flour and whatever honey I happen to have in the house at the time.
Other ingredients include a little cinnamon for subtle spicy sweet notes, walnuts for a nutty crunch and four of the all important bananas.
We have it toasted and untoasted. Both are thoroughly delicious, especially when spread with butter or peanut butter.
Is Banana Bread Good For Breakfast?
Banana bread without refined sugar and made with wholemeal spelt flour is a great way to start the day. It’s certainly better than sugar laden cereals. The only fat in my bread is olive oil and there’s not a great deal of that. So the only saturated fat contained in this breakfast banana bread is from one egg. Divide that by twelve and you’re not getting an awful lot.
For a completely fat and sugar-free loaf, you could try my sourdough banana bread. It has the advantage of being vegan too. But it is a bit more involved. It requires kneading and proving. And you need a sourdough starter too.
Bananas
Apart from one tablespoon of honey, bananas provide the only sweetness in this bread. They are a veritable powerhouse of nutritional must haves. They’re rich in potassium, manganese, fibre, vitamins C and B6. They help to improve digestion and it’s claimed they aid in the prevention of both heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
That said ripe bananas are high in sugar, so it’s probably best not to overindulge. Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist and you should always check any stated health claims.
Walnuts
Walnuts are one of the main pleasures when eating this bread. They provide both crunch and flavour. They’re also a source of good fats and are rich in the essential fatty acid omega-3. In addition they contain iron, selenium, calcium, zinc and vitamin E. Known as a superfood, it’s said to aid in the prevention of all sorts of diseases. Disclaimer: I’m not a nutritionist and you should always check any stated health claims.
Top Tips for Baking Breakfast Banana Bread
- The bread is incredibly quick to prepare. You only need one bowl and it takes less than 10 minutes if you’re a fast worker. But it does take quite a long time to bake. So, if you want it for breakfast, either bake it the day before, or make sure you’ve made a start on it a good hour before you need to eat.
- Ensure you have ripe bananas. They don’t have to be brown, although that’s OK, but you need to mash them and that’s quite hard when your bananas are unripe. Plus you want them to be sweet as, apart from a little honey, they provide the only sweetness.
- I use a fork to mash the bananas, then continue to use this to mix the rest of the ingredients in. This means slightly less washing up, but it also ensures you don’t mix with a heavy hand.
- The bread takes longer to bake than you might expect, so ensure it’s properly cooked before you take it out of the oven. It’s probably best to over estimate the cooking time than to underestimate it. Test with an inserted skewer. It should come out completely clean.
- Wait for it to cool completely before slicing, although if you don’t mind it being a bit crumbly, it’s very nice whilst warm.
- If not eating right away, wrap in a plastic bag as soon as it’s cool. It will keep well for a few days and makes excellent toast from day two.
Other Banana Bread Recipes You Might Like
- Banana, spelt flour and pecan loaf via How to Cook Good Food
- Chocolate chip banana bread via Tinned Tomatoes
- Gooey delicious banana cake via Kavey Eats
- Healthy banana bread via Green Gourmet Giraffe
- Muscovado banana bread with raisins or chocolate chips via Tin and Thyme
- Peanut butter banana bread – via Veggie Inspired
- Salted caramel upside down banana loaf – via Belleau Kitchen
- Sourdough banana bread (vegan) via Tin and Thyme
- Ultimate chocolate chip banana bread via Supper in the Suburbs
- Vegan banana cake via Fab Food 4 All
Keep in Touch
Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this breakfast banana bread, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.
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If you’d like more breakfast recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.
Choclette x
Breakfast Banana Bread. PIN IT.
Breakfast Banana Bread – The Recipe
Breakfast Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 4 very ripe bananas
- 1 tbsp runny honey (organic fair-trade honey from Equal Exchange is good)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large egg
- 200 g wholemeal spelt flour (I've also used sprouted spelt)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch fine sea or rock salt
- 50 g walnuts roughly chopped
- peanut butter to serve (I use either homemade or organic fair-trade unsalted smooth peanut butter from Equal Exchange).
Instructions
- Set the oven to 180℃ (350℉, Gas 4).
- Peel and mash the bananas in a large bowl with a fork or potato masher.
- Beat in the honey, oil and egg until everything is more or less smooth.
- Sift in the dry ingredients and fold in carefully to avoid any lumps.
- Stir in the walnuts.
- Pour into a 2lb oiled loaf tin (I use a silicone one) and bake on the middle shelf for 45-55 minutes or until the loaf is well risen, golden and has a nice crack along the top.
- Leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition Estimate
Sharing
I’m sharing this healthy banana bread with Apply to Face Blog for #BakingCrumbs. It also goes to Crumbs & Corkscrews for #CookBlogShare.
Heidi Roberts says
I have always saved over ripe bananas for banana bread – so easy and everyone loves it.
Choclette says
Yes, banana bread is a sure fire winner and there are so many ways to make it that you never get bored.
Sisley White says
I love banana bread and yours is so good. I have to make this again soon.
Choclette says
Thanks Sisley. I’ve been making it quite a lot recently. We particularly like it toasted.
Janice Pattie says
What a great idea, I usually make much sweeter banana bread, but this does look good spread with peanut butter.
Choclette says
What I find astonishing about banana bread is how many variations of it there are.
Cat | Curly's Cooking says
What a delicious looking banana bread that I would love for breakfast any day!
Choclette says
It sure makes a nice treat for breakfast. And it’s so easy to make.
Jenny Walters says
Wow! What a brilliant recipe and post. Seriously! So informative and such a delicious idea. The idea of it toasted with peanut butter sounds like a breakfast of kings! Positively genius. Another one of yours that will stay with me for weeks. Thank you so much for sharing it with #BakingCrumbs
Choclette says
Aw thanks Jenny. You are so good at positive feedback. It’s a great combination of flavours and textures.
Kate - Gluten Free Alchemist says
Wow that sounds super-healthy and great to see a banana bread which is bread and not cake! I’d definitely go off to work happy with that for breakfast x
Choclette says
Well it’s not quite bread, but it’s definitely not cake. It is very good. For a 100% banana bread, I do have a recipe for banana sourdough.
Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook says
I love banana bread but haven’t tried using wholemeal spelt flour. It is already on my to-buy list. 🙂 This looks amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Choclette says
It’s my favourite flour for baking cakes, pastry & cookies. If you’re not used to baking with wholemeal flour though, it may take some getting used to.
Cheese Curd In Paradise says
I love the cinnamon and honey addition to this bread! This looks like an excellent way to start the day! My kiddos would love this.
Choclette says
Yes, the cinnamon and honey really make it, especially as there’s no other added sugar.
Uma Srinivas says
Banana bread is always a favorite of my family. Your recipe sounds good with honey. Perfect with hot chai or coffee!
Choclette says
Ooh yes, I like the idea of having it for breakfast with hot chai.
Patricia @ Grab a Plate says
Great recipe to have – love your idea to serve for breakfast! Thanks for the tip about baking a bit longer – that’s usually my problem!
Choclette says
I get a bit unstuck in that area too sometimes. Brown tops can be very deceptive.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
What a lovely idea to use a whole grain to bake my favorite banana bread. I have been looking for recipes to use sprouted spelt flour and now I am excited to see that you have tried it for this recipe. Will be making it soon!
Choclette says
I used sprouted spelt flour in all my usual baking recipes where I’d use ordinary wholemeal spelt. It worked fine. Let me know how you get on with this bread if you do make it.
angiesrecipes says
Definitely a wonderful treat to kick start the day!
Choclette says
It is indeed and I’ve just had a couple of slices for breakfast this morning.