Thursday, July 26, 2012

baking can be healthy!

since my big shift in how i eat, i have cut out white flour, replacing it with whole wheat. i was pretty wary about how baked goods would taste with all whole wheat (some people will do half all-purpose & half whole wheat, but not many substitute whole wheat altogether). but i have been pleasantly surprised on my whole wheat baking adventures thus far. my first attempt was with whole wheat blueberry muffins, and my hubby and i scarfed them down. they were certainly heartier than the muffin i was used to, but still moist and delicious.

with this bread, i went even healthier, leaving out sugar (well, with the exception of the dark chocolate chocolate chips.. but banana bread just isn't the same without chocolate!) i have to say i was a bit nervous about how it would taste, but my hubby will atest, it was pretty darn scrumptious. i actually think it was even better tasting than banana breads i've made in the past. i definitely won't be going back to all-purpose flour with breads & muffins. next, i will have to try whole wheat cookies (eep!)... thinking pastry flour will be a better bet for those.

DARK CHOCOLATE CHIP WHOLE WHEAT BANANA BREAD (adapted from this recipe)


INGREDIENTS ::

  • 2 cups whole-wheat flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
  • 1/4 - 1/2 cup honey (i used 1/2 cup because i only had 2 bananas)
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional)


  • DIRECTIONS ::
    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease bread pan.
    2. Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt.
    3. In a separate bowl, mix mashed bananas with honey, eggs, oil, and vanilla.
    4. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until blended. Do not over-mix.
    5. Pour batter into prepared pan.
    6. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Mine took 40 minutes).

    i hope you are inspired to try whole wheat baking! it is seriously so much better than you'd think. and, better yet, it is nutritious!! you can actually feel good about eating it.
    (sidenote :: i didn't take the above photo until day 3, so it looked (and tasted) even more moist initially. sorry to those who are squirmish about the word moist, haha.)

    9 comments:

    Tiffany Kadani said...

    I'm so glad you did this! I'm starting to eat clean and am cutting out white flour also! I have been buying extra bananas but chickening out from using all whole wheat flour. Good to know it tastes so yummy!

    Anna said...

    You should search out white whole wheat flour...I believe Hodgson Mills makes it ?? I think it works better in muffins and you can also mix it with regular whole wheat. I made cookies with whole wheat flour ONCE and decided that you can't/shouldn't "healthify" dessert :) They just weren't the same. Breads and muffins are breakfast and snacks though, and your bread looks delicious! I like making muffins/breads with as little sugar as I can get away with because I figure you can always add honey or jam back on when you eat it!

    Beth @ The Goad Abode said...

    Yum! This recipe sounds delish. I've been baking with whole wheat flour for a while now and love experimenting with it :)

    Linnea Wheeler said...

    YUM! I'm going to make these. Glad you're enjoying whole wheat flour and coconut oil!! :) yay!

    Kelly said...

    Yum, sounds good! And what a great photo!

    Sienna said...

    i loooove banana bread, have to try this

    becca said...

    you can SO bake healthy. and I think you know that now!
    good for you. keep experimenting, and you'll love it more and more!

    Jillian said...

    This looks like a great recipe.

    I'm trying to limit my white flour intake (it just isn't likely I'll completely cut it out - at least for the moment). I've made Nutella cakes using just whole-wheat flour and it is amazing! Maybe there's a slight nutty flavor, but that doesn't bother me.

    Sarah Dawneé said...

    This looks so yummy!

    I definitely want to try it now. =)