Pick ‘N’ Mix Banana & Fruit Loaf 

So many cafe style banana breads are full of butter and sugar, and sliced so thickly that they are hardly a healthy option. Baking your own is so simple and when using the right ingredients, much healthier. It’s also a cheaper alternative and uses any overripe bananas that you may have in your fruit bowl. Simply slice into fingers for a tasty snack or freeze for the kids’ lunchboxes.

Nutrition Note: Making your own banana bread allows you the choice of what goes into it. You can skip the butter, choose buttermilk and oil instead, reduce the amount of sugar and slice into appropriate portion sizes.

This recipe was featured in our Autumn/Back To School issue of our Magazine. To find out more about our popular magazines or to purchase online see the links below:

Launch magazine 

Back to School Magazine 

Winter Warmers Magazine

Spring 2014 – On sale August 7th

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup olive, macadamia or coconut oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 large bananas, mashed
• 2 1/4 cups wholemeal, spelt or white plain flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Pick N Mix Fruit Option: An additional mashed banana, 1 ripe pear, peeled and diced; 1 apple, peeled and grated; 1 cup fresh or frozen berries - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries; 1 cup fresh dates, pitted and chopped; 1 cup sultanas, raisins or dried blueberries

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line a 23 x 13 cm loaf tin. -

Step 2

Place the buttermilk, sugar, olive oil, eggs and bananas into a medium bowl and whisk to combine. -

Step 3

Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt into a large bowl and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre, add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Add the pick n mix fruit and fold through. -

Step 4

Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for around 60 minutes or until the top in golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Allow to cool in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve or freeze in individual portions. -

Step 5

Note: These have been tested into 14.5 x 8cm mini loaf tins, bake these for around 30-40 minutes. -