Banana Oat Bread

November 2, 2011 / No Comments

I am a huge fan of banana bread, but in my attempts to increase the nutritional value of my baking, I decided to combine a recipe for oat bread with my favorite banana bread, and added in a little whole grain flour. This bread is tender and moist, but a little dense with the addition of the oats. Be careful not to over mix this bread, and just stir until the dry ingredients are mixed into the wet ones. Use regular cooking oats in this recipe, not instant or steel cut. My grandkids loved eating slices of this bread warmed just a little in the microwave and spread with butter although cream cheese would be delicious as well.

Why Healthy

Bananas are one of our best sources of potassium, an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function.
Oats, via their high fiber content, are already known to help remove cholesterol from the digestive system that would otherwise end up in the bloodstream and have special antioxidant properties.
Butter was replaced with olive oil, a heart healthy mono-unsaturated oil.

Banana Oat Bread

A moist, high fiber quick bread that is great for breakfast or throughout the day.

Yield: Serves 12

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

2 Cups All-Puropse Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
Dash of Salt
1 1/2 Cups Regular Oats
2 Cups Mashed Ripe Bananas
1 Cup Brown Sugar
2/3 Cups Light Buttermilk
1/2 Cup Light Olive Oil
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
4 Large Eggs, Lightly Beaten

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Lightly grease two 8 X 4 inch baking pans, or use a baking spray.
Combine the buttermilk and oats in a small bowl and let sit 30 minutes.
Combine the two flours, baking powder and soda, salt, and cinnamon in one bowl.
In a separate bowl, mix together the bananas, olive oil, vanilla, sugar, and eggs until combined.
Add the dry ingredients and oat mixture to the wet ingredients and stir just until combined.
Divide the batter into the two pans equally, and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
Cool 15 minutes, then remove from the pan.