One Banana, Two Banana, Three Banana, Four...
Question: What do you do with a large bunch of bananas when you cannot finish them all before they go bad? Answer” if you are like me, you freeze them until the time when you have a hankering for banana bread! In this case, Einkorn Banana Bread.
Who doesn’t love banana bread?!? It’s perfect as a dessert or even as a decadent breakfast! Just slice off about an inch and you’ve got yourself a perfect match for that cup of coffee. And the best part… it’s so easy to make and welcomes plenty of variations and substitutions. More on that in a bit.
Recently I was assessing my freezer contents when I found a stash with a variety of bananas from my local grocer. I was also in possession of the newly acquired einkorn flour. For those who are unfamiliar as I was just a few short weeks ago, einkorn flour is the oldest known variety of wheat known to exist. It has recently come back into the spotlight due to it being easier to digest than modern wheat while containing more protein and antioxidants. But if you are like me, you bought it just to try out a new type of flour product.
As I recently discussed in my Sourdough Spelt Bread Loaf recipe, I recently came into the possession of over 100lbs of flour during the coronavirus lockdowns and I have been trying to find creative and fun ways to utilize them.
Einkorn Banana Bread is a Great Vehicle to Use Up Ingredients
Banana bread, being easy to make and fairly forgiving on the recipe front was a perfect guinea pig for the einkorn flour. In general, banana bread is a go to recipe for my household because it is such a great tool to use up other ingredients. Got yogurt instead of Sour Cream? No problem! Want to use up some walnuts? Pecans? Pistachios? No problem! Need more chocolate in your life? Banana bread holds the answer for you too! Want to try out some new flour you bought during your quarantine? Let’s hope… no problem!
I’d say with banana bread, there is really one very critical ingredient and that would be super duper, where you are almost concerned with how black they are bananas! The riper the better. You want all the sweetness and mushiness from the bananas you can handle.
I recommend leaving them out until they start to turn very brown and then either using them right away in banana bread (or other ripe banana applications such as smoothies or muffins) or freezing them immediately for later use. I believe this actually helps break down the cell walls in the bananas and causes them to be extra mushy (which is helpful when you are mashing them up).
For this test, I opted for a purist batch of banana bread with no add ins. I felt this would be the best test of the einkorn flour. The more nuts and chocolate you add the easier it is to lose other flavors. Although, I am not opposed to adding a generous topping of high quality ricotta cheese on top.
The Verdict
The einkorn flour produced a delicious moist and flavorful banana bread! But then again… let’s not kid ourselves the real stars of the show were the bananas. Banana bread is delicious because of the great flavor and moisture brought from the bananas, not really the flour. Without comparing side by side, I would say this einkorn flour banana bread held up very well. It seems that within reason, banana bread is also very forgiving with the type of flour used. Another reason why banana bread should be a staple in every home.
I do hope you try this recipe out and bring some delicious banana bread into your life!
Einkorn Flour Banana Bread
Equipment
- Standard size loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Whisk or Electric mixer
Ingredients
Base Banana Bread
- 1 ½ cups Einkorn Flour or any flour you have on hand
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 ¼ tsp baking soda
- 1 cup packed brown sugar Dark or light
- ⅓-½ cup Sour Cream greek yogurt, mascarpone, or ricotta
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 4-5 VERY ripe bananas mashed (will provide about 1.5-2 cups)
Add-Ins (optional)
- ½ cup nut of your choice walnuts, pecans, almonds, pistachios
- ½ cup chocolate chunks or chips your choice
Instructions
Step 1:
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Create a parchment paper sling for your loaf pan and place the paper inside the loaf pan. Be sure to leave enough overhang on the lips to evacuate your banana bread.
Step 2:
- In a medium bowl whisk flour, salt and baking soda.
Step 3:
- In a large bowl, whisk (or use an electric mixer to beat) brown sugar, sour cream, and butter until light and fluffy (about 4-6 minutes). Add eggs and whisk until incorporated.
Step 4:
- Slowly incorporate flour mixture from step 1 into the mixture from step 3 until combined and the whole mixture is hydrated. Next add in your mashed bananas and any Add-Ins you might have and mix until evenly incorporated.
Step 5:
- Pour mixture into the prepared loaf pan and bake in the oven for about 60-65 minutes. At that time check your loaf with a toothpick tester to see if it comes out clean. Move the entire loaf pan to a wire rack to allow bread to cool for 1 hour before removing from the pan. ENJOY!!