The Best Banana Bread (In my opinion) and Banana News
By Makenna Adams
The first few months of quarantine encouraged many stir-crazy individuals to take up a new and unexpected hobby: banana bread baking. Oddly enough, back in March 2020, one could not go anywhere online without stumbling across some proud baker’s confection, nor were bananas readily available in stores. It seemed like every food-focused website, including Bon Appetit, an internet favorite, each had their own recipe that at-home bakers were trying with such incredible fervor that banana sales went up by 150%, as reported by FreshPlaza*. There are several theories as to why bananas and banana-based recipes, including banana bread, became such a hot-topic. Supported by most economists is the idea that banana sales increased as consumers turned to healthy foods, hoping to prevent or limit the ailments of the pandemic, which had already been the focus of global conversation in March. Because bananas are easy to eat, easy to obtain, and are healthy foods, specialists speculate that people were desperate to get their hands on them. Why banana bread, specifically, became such a popular baked good, is harder to understand. My take is that banana bread is easy to make, fun to make, and all things considered, a healthier dessert choice than other refined-sugar-loaded baked goods. Certainly, the banana bread I will teach you how to make today is! I confess, I myself baked many a batch of banana bread in March 2020, and this recipe, which is inspired by the “Gluten-Free Blueberry Mini Muffins” recipe in Rebecca Katz’s The Longevity Kitchen is the best, in my opinion.
The Best Banana Bread
- Combine in a large bowl:
2 cups almond flour
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp sea salt
½ tsp baking soda
- Combine in a separate, smaller bowl:
2 eggs
2 tbs neutral oil (coconut, sunflower, grapeseed, etc.)
2 tbs honey or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
- Add the bowl of wet ingredients to the dry; mix until smooth (1-1.5 minutes by hand)
- Pour batter into a greased loaf tin, bake for 30-40 minutes at 375℉ until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.
*An industry information portal based in the Netherlands.