Favourite Banana-Bran Bread
Submitted by jay
Banana bran bread with walnuts: ripe mashed bananas, bran flakes cereal, and chopped walnuts baked into a moist, fiber-rich quickbread loaf. A favorite for breakfast and afternoon tea.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
½ hrsCOOK
1 hrsREADY
2½ hrsThis is banana bread with a little something extra: a full cup of bran flakes cereal stirred into the batter alongside the chopped walnuts. The bran adds fiber and a faint nutty toastiness, but more importantly it adds chewy bits throughout the loaf, giving you a moist banana bread that has more going on texturally than the usual smooth crumb.
Four small, fully ripe bananas, mashed to a generous cup and a half, do most of the moisture and sweetness work. As with any banana bread, the fruit needs to be deeply ripe, brown-spotted and soft to the touch, for proper sweetness and easy mashing. Underripe bananas yield bland, dry bread.
The bran flakes go in last, along with the nuts and the flour mixture, so they keep some of their texture rather than dissolving into the batter. They will soften during baking but still leave the crumb with a pleasant chew.
Cool completely on a rack before slicing. The flavor and texture both improve overnight.
Pro Tips
- Use whole bran flakes cereal (the breakfast kind), not raw wheat bran; they bake into the loaf differently.
- Mash the bananas thoroughly but leave a few small lumps; they bake into tender pockets of fruit.
- Test with a toothpick at 55 minutes; bran bread can bake faster than plain banana bread.
- Slice with a sharp serrated knife; bran flakes can drag a smooth blade.
Variations
- Swap walnuts for pecans, almonds, or a mix; add a quarter cup of chocolate chips for sweetness.
- Stir in a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg for a spiced loaf.
- Top with a streusel of brown sugar, butter, and oats for a coffee-cake style finish.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Using solid vefgetable shortening, thoroughly grease 9 inch x 5 inch x 3 inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In the sifter, place flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Sift over a piece of waxed paper; set aside.
In large bowl of electric mixer, at high speed, beat butter, sugar, egg and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until smooth and fluffy.
Continue to beat the mixture until ingredients are thoroughly combined; set aside.
Peel bananas; place in a medium-sized bowl and mash with a potato masher or fork (to yield 1½ cups) until all large lumps are broken up.
Add to the sugar-and-egg mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed.
Add flour mixture, bran cereal and nuts, beating just until smooth.
Turn the banana-bran batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading with a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to make smooth.
Place pan on the center rack in oven and bake 60 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean.
If necessary, bake bread a few minutes longer.
When bread is done, place pan on a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes.
Remove bread from pan; transfer bread to a wire rack and let stand until it is completely cool.
To Store:
Wrap bread tightly in aluminum foil and place in plastic bag. Refridgerate until ready to serve.
To Serve:
Using a sharp bread knife, cut the Banana-Bran Bread into slices and serve with butter or margarine.
Or, if desired, serve with cream cheese.
Comments
This recipe makes light, fluffy muffins, bake 20 min. for large muffins, 12 for minis.