Brown Sugar Banana Oat Bread

Banana Walnut Bread | a healthier banana bread! Yogurt, whole grains, protein and fiber with less sugar and fat! www.LiveBest.info

Brown sugar Banana Oat Bread is healthier banana bread!
Packed with protein and fiber from yogurt, oats, walnuts, and prunes, I think it’s the best banana bread!

Lemon blossoms bring me to my family home in California.

Pears take me to my grandma’s house.

A whiff of espresso takes me to Italy.

Our sense of smell has amazing power over memory and emotions.

While oranges and other citrus may be stimulating and boost our mood, vanilla and lavender are more relaxing. Sometimes we need the soothing smells of simmered soup or baked bread. Cinnamon, bananas, walnuts, brown sugar, and vanilla perfuming the house, feel like a hug.

This week I wanted solace. So the timing was perf! Packed with yogurt, oats, walnuts and prunes, I think it’s the best banana bread! It’s moist without being greasy.

During banana bread taste testing, I asked my husband what could be improved.
He said: If you’d made 2 loaves.

How to make Banana Walnut Oat Bread with protein and fiber

  1. Stir mashed bananas with yogurt, egg and other wet ingredients
  2. Combine with flour, whole-wheat flour, oats, baking powder and spices
  3. Bake 45-50 minutes.

The ingredients

  • Less sugar and fat. Many quick bread recipes have a cup of oil and 1 to 2 cups sugar. Not this LiveBest Banana Walnut Bread. I use brown sugar to add caramel notes. Though you can use white sugar instead of brown sugar.
  • Protein-rich from walnuts, eggs and yogurt.
  • Fortified with fiber by the whole-wheat flour, oats, prunes, and walnuts.
  • But most of all, it tastes good!

BTW: I created a free, 5-day challenge you can join by clicking this link. You’ll get tips and tools, resources and recipes to create your own roadmap to meet your fiber goals. Don’t ya? Won’t ya? Seriously, it’s only 5 days 😉 Find it right here.

Can you substitute white sugar for brown sugar?

In this recipe, yes. Brown sugar is regular white sugar that as molasses mixed in. The molasses gives a bit richer flavor and more color than the white sugar. With just 1/2 cup sugar in this recipe, you can use white sugar rather than brown.

How to store bananas

Bananas prefer warm, tropical weather. If they get too cold, they refuse to ripen and sweeten. Bang them around and the bruises grow wider and deeper. Bananas store best at room temperature. The warmer it is, the faster they ripen. You can refrigerate them to slow ripening. The peel will turn black, but the fruit is still good. Bananas can also be frozen. Peel them and store in an air-tight container. To ripen bananas faster, place them in a closed brown paper bag for a day or two.

To freeze bananas, nest in a bg.

How to use ripe bananas

As they ripen, bananas become sweeter and more flavorful, so where you might like to eat them, they are great to use in other recipes. The texture changes, they may feel a bit slick,

but they’re still perfectly good.

Brown sugar Banana Walnut Bread in a bread pan

Brown Sugar Banana Walnut Bread with yogurt, whole grains, protein and fiber with less sugar and fat.

The best pan to bake banana bread in

I prefer a dark aluminum pan like the photo above. One with handles so it’s easier to move in and out of the oven. Aluminum is light weight and conducts heat well. That means the food cooks a little faster and browns better. Stainless steel pans don’t conduct heat as well as aluminum. On the other hand, glass takes longer to heat and doesn’t conduct heat well, but it does hold heat for a longer time. That means with a glass pan the edges of baked goods may cook faster than the center, so you might end up with dry bottom and sides. Reduce the heat by 25° F. to remedy this.

Another recipe to try is this zucchini bread.

High Five Fiber Challenge

I created a free, 5-day challenge you can join by clicking this link. You’ll get tips and tools, resources and recipes to create your own roadmap to meet your fiber goals and make high fiber meals. Don’t ya? Won’t ya? Seriously, it’s only 5 days 😉 Find it right here.

Banana Walnut Bread with oats, yogurt and prunes

Brown Sugar Banana Walnut Bread, a healthier twist on a classic

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baking pan with loaf of banana bread

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Brown Sugar Banana Walnut Bread with Oats and Yogurt

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If you want to snazz up the loaf, slice a banana in half and set it on top of the loaf, cut-side up, before baking.

  • Author: Judy Barbe
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
  • Yield: 12 1x
  • Category: Breakfast
  • Method: Baked
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 3 overripe bananas, mashed with fork or potato masher
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup plain yogurt
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1/4 cup rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
  • 1/4 cup prunes, chopped

Instructions

  • Prep: Heat oven to 375° F. Spray a 9 x 5 loaf pan lightly with cooking spray.
  • Mix: Combine bananas, eggs, yogurt, sugar, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until well combined.
  • Mix this: In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, baking soda and nutmeg. Add to egg mixture and stir just to combine. Stir in walnuts and prunes.
  • Bake: Pour into prepared pan. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (No wet batter on the toothpick). Move to cooling rack and let rest 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Notes

When you add flour to wet ingredients, be gentle. Stir just until the flour is incorporated. Overmixing the batter results in a tough loaf.

White sugar may be substituted for the brown sugar

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 3/4 inch slice
  • Calories: 235

This post contains affiliate links. That means if you click on a link and make a purchase, I may make a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay.

Banana Walnut Bread | a healthier banana bread! More whole grains, protein and fiber with less sugar and fat. www.LiveBest.info

Comments

  1. Can I use olive oil ? ( recipe just says oil … I want a healthy oil not Crisco :/)

    Thanks,
    Roberta

  2. What can I use as a substitute for the chopped prunes – I don’t have any on hand.

    1. Author

      Hi Joanne, dried currants, cherries, coconut or cranberries would be nice. Let me know how it goes. Judy

  3. I don’t have any Whole Wheat flour. What adjustments can I make or what can be substituted?
    Barbara

    1. Author

      Hi Barbara, you can use all all-purpose flour without any other adjustments. Check the bake time about 5 minutes earlier. Happy baking! Judy

  4. This looks yummy. Only problem- I have no yogurt. Can I use Almond milk? Thank you!

    1. Author

      Hi Diane, I haven’t made this with almond milk, but I think it should work. Try substituting 1/2 cup almond milk for the yogurt. Let me know your results!

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    1. Author

      Hi Debbie, thanks for the note. So pleased you like the recipe. I don’t have additional information but am considering including it in the future.

  6. Can you use almond flour instead of all purpose flour and whole wheat flour? How much should be in the recipe?

    1. Author

      Hi Shannon, I’ve baked with almond flour just once and not with this recipe, so I can’t say how you would substitute quantity. I know it would be a different texture with a tender crumb because almond flour doesn’t develop gluten and has a higher fat content. Plus without gluten the bread won’t rise as much so unsure if leavening would need to be increased. I’m curious what you find if you bake it almond flour. Judy

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