Hey everyone! How are you doing?? My week has been a busy one which is not a surprise. I feel like I can never get a grip on how many things I have to get done in a day. It feels like holding on to a bucking bronco that never tires. This is probably because I am a master procrastinator. I am excited about this vegan banana bread recipe because it is my first completely vegan recipe that I will be posting because it actually turned out somewhat edible.
I had an opportunity a long time ago to work with some vegan baking recipes and I recently kept finding myself thinking back to those recipes. I remember how surprisingly good they were which is kind of funny because I know that vegan baking can be just as good as conventional baked goods. It honestly is just a lot of ingredient replacement and some tweaks in amounts to turn pretty much any recipe into a vegan recipe.
Listen to The Post Below!
I did whip out one of my current favorites to bake with right now though ā ground flaxseed. This is such a powerhouse seed that has enough protein to actually replace eggs in pretty much anything. The cool thing is it actually works. I have come across so many ābaking hacksā on the internet that don’t amount to anything and are just a waste of my time. But this does not do that. It actually is a perfect way of replacing eggs with a vegan option if you so choose. So far, I have used flaxseed in this recipe and one other, and it has worked both times.
Products Used in This Recipe
I have mentioned before (in my newsletter which you really should sign up for!) that I will be taking the blog into a more āeco-friendly bakingā direction which basically means that I will be weeding out unethical products such as the use of non-organic produce, the use of milk (how it is produced is not ethically sound in my opinion, and focusing on fair trade items) as well as much as possible.
Also, shopping locally when possible and focusing on reducing the waste that comes from the products that I buy. Using flaxseeds is one of those substitutions that I will keep implementing because I honestly just enjoy using them. I will still use eggs when necessary because I donāt find the production of eggs to be unethically sound. I will however only buy from companies that keep the welfare of the animal in mind as well.
For me this year has really made me take a step back and look at the things that we are doing. Looking at the ripple effects of my actions and asking myself āIs this the best that I can do?ā. It really is time for all of us to step up and try a little bit harder to make this life better for everyone. I hope this blog can be a vessel for that.
Back to The Recipe
A couple of things that you should know. This is not a firm banana bread and it actually is very moist and fragile. I prefer my banana bread that way and I think it is super delicious when it just falls apart in your mouth in a burst of banana-goodness. I didnāt add anything else to the recipe except a splash of cinnamon and nutmeg. I was hesitant to add nutmeg, but I think that it adds a little something extra that I find lacking in other recipes. I also adore nutmeg on pretty much anything, so I think it is a win-win all around. Have you ever tried to grate fresh nutmeg on a cappuccino or even just a cup of coffee with a bit of cream? Heavenly. The smell alone makes me want to eat the whole nutmeg except then I would choke and die, and we donāt want that.
I do wish it perked up a little bit more than it did, but my oven seriously sucks so maybe you will have better luck? I canāt even really tell what temperature my oven is actually set to because it doesnāt have a digital screen to display the temperature. So, if you make this recipe and it freaks out on you please let me know because I will update the recipe.
Vegan Banana Bread
Equipment
- Loaf pan
- Kitchenaid Mixer
- spatula
- Bowls
- Food scale
Ingredients
- 120 Grams All-purpose Flour
- 16 Grams Cornstarch
- 3 Grams Cinnamon
- 9 Grams Baking powder
- 4 Grams Baking soda
- 2 Ripe bananas
- 14 Grams Ground flaxseed
- 8 Grams Vanilla extract
- 5 Grams Salt
- 85 Grams Vegan butter
- 150 Grams Sugar
- 4 Grams Nutmeg, ground
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350Ā° F and lightly butter or line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- This recipe is easily mixed by a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment or by hand with a wooden spoon. Place your flaxseed into a bowl and soak in water until the seeds have absorbed the water and create an egg white-like consistency.
- Begin by placing your butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract into the bowl of your stand mixer and beat until combined. Add in your bananas and continue beating until incorporated. Lastly, weight in all of your dry ingredients and continue mixing at a slow speed. I will finish mixing with a spatula just to make sure everything is combined before pouring the batter into a prepared loaf pan and baking for at least 40 minutes to an hour. Allow the bread to cool in the pan before removing it. This banana bread is very loose so it will fall apart if you try to remove it when hot. Enjoy!
I wouldnāt make this with bananas that arenāt a step away from being thrown out. That is where you get that wonderfully molasses-y flavor from the bananas only when they are extremely ripe. The sugars caramelized in the loaf and will fill your entire house with that unmistakable smell of banana bread.
My husband actually thought I added molasses to the recipe because it has such a caramel-y flavor. Also, please please please use organic bananas. I always buy organic bananas even from Whole Foods because the difference in price is like $.080. It is totally worth that price to support healthy farming and better produce! I hope you enjoy this recipe and got a laugh out of this post. I am trying to be as ālightheartedā as possible nowadays because I havenāt taken a vacation in almost two years, I have had two trips to Hawaii canceled and we just passed 250,000 deaths from this pandemic. As sobering as that is, I am simply happy to be alive. Choose your time on this planet with careā¦ and go make some banana bread!
Stay healthy my friends,
