whole wheat coconut banana bread

another keeper for the list.  no big deal.

do you love coconut? i do.  

normally i don't end up with many brown banana's sitting on the counter.  usually, i'm making quick runs to the store in between for reals shopping trips because we're out of banana's.  or creamer.  we eat a lot of banana's and apparently, we use a lot of creamer.  

sometimes though, the banana's i buy start to brown much quicker than other times and i don't like banana's with brown spots.  picky maybe?

anyway, a few weeks ago i ended up with four black banana's on my counter.  since i already have bags of frozen black banana's in my freezer, i didn't want to add to the stash so i decided to try this recipe i'd bookmarked some time ago.  

it was fantastic.

i might have made a few changes. the original calls for white flour.  i used all white whole wheat flour.  it also calls for 4 tbsp of butter but i used coconut oil in place of half the butter as well as fat free plain greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

whole wheat coconut banana bread

printable recipe

recipe via honey and butter

2 cups white whole wheat flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted and cooled to room temp

2 large eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed, ripe bananas (about 4 large)

1/4 cup plain greek yogurt

3 tbsp skim milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp sweetened, flaked coconut

preheat oven to 350 degrees.

whisk flour, baking soda and salt together.  set aside.

in a large mixing bowl, beat butter, coconut oil and sugar until blended.  add the eggs and beat until combined.  add the banana, sour cream, milk and vanilla.  beat until blended. slowly incorporate the flour mixture until just combined.  fold in the coconut.

pour batter into a large loaf pan that has been sprayed with baking spray or lined with parchment paper.  sprinkle the additional 2 tbsp of coconut on the top.

bake uncovered for 50-60* minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  

let the loaf cool on a rack for about 10 minutes and then carefully remove it from the pan.  cool for an additional 15 minutes before slicing.

*my bread was very dense.  it took 75 minutes to cook all of the way through so i covered the top with tinfoil after 50 minutes to prevent over browning.

yields 12 generous slices

Nutrition Facts whole wheat coconut banana bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 241 Total Fat 6.6g       Saturated Fat 4.3g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 35mg Sodium 200mg Carbohydrate 42.3g       Dietary Fiber 3.3g       Sugars 23.3g Protein 4.8g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 2% Vitamin C 6% Calcium    1% Iron 4%

whole wheat banana blueberry muffins

whole wheat banana blueberry muffins

another tasty recipe adapted from a hint of honey

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 eggs, whisked

1 1/2 cups ripe banana, mashed (i used 3 thawed from frozen bananas)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup milk (i used skim)

1 cup frozen blueberries

preheat oven to 375 degrees.  lightly grease or line two muffin tins

in a medium bowl, whisk to combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt & cinnamon

in a large bowl, whisk to combine eggs, banana, sugar, applesauce, vanilla and milk.  add dry ingredients and stir until just combined.  gently fold in blueberries.

dived batter between muffin cups. (she made 12 large muffins.  i made 20).  bake for 18-20 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  cool on wire rack.

makes 20 muffins

Nutrition Facts whole wheat banana blueberry muffins Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 124 Total Fat 0.7g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 18mg Sodium 185mg Carbohydrate 27.5g       Dietary Fiber 2.2g       Sugars 14.1g Protein 3.1g Alcohol 0.1g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    5% Iron 4%

whole wheat zucchini bread

recently i made some goodies for some special people. one of those goodies was a wonderful zucchini bread i'd found via smitten kitchen (favorite it).  i anticipated this bread to taste much like the bread my mom makes because it has all the right ingredients for delicious results.  i was right.  i stole a slice from the loaf i'd delivered to my grandma a few weeks back when i visited her for lunch.  it was so good, i was glad i was leaving it behind on her kitchen counter.

the second loaf went to a deserving family and apparently, they enjoyed the taste as much as i had.   when i was asked for the recipe, i could tell it was assumed that the bread they'd eaten was a nutritious loaf of zucchini bread.  delicious? yes.  nutritious? not so much.  woops.

so i set out to recreate the bread with some better-for-you ingredients and i've just tasted my first slice.  SCORE!

seriously.  seriously, this recipe came straight out of my head, i amazed myself.  i've never done that before; just throw ingredients in a bowl and hope for the best.  it worked.  hooray!

whole wheat zucchini bread
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp each of (ground) nutmeg, cloves & allspice
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup canola oil
2 Tbsp light agave
3 large eggs
3 cups zucchini, grated
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 oz bittersweet baking chocolate, chopped (optional).

pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  spray two 8x4 loafs pans with non-stick spray and lightly flour.  set aside.

grate the zucchini and squeeze out excess moisture with a few paper towels.  fluff with a fork.

in a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and spices.

in a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, oil and agave.  mix until well blended.  add eggs, one at a time, blending well after each egg.  on the lowest speed setting, add zucchini and vanilla until just combined.

slowly mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  don't over mix.

gently fold the chocolate into the batter.

pour batter evenly into prepared pans.  smooth out tops.  bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.  do not over bake.  cool in pans for 10 minutes before removing loaves from pans to finish cooling on a rack (don't leave the loaves in the pans for longer than 10 minutes).

eat it.

makes 2 loaves with approximately 12-13 slices per loaf.

Nutrition Facts whole wheat zucchini bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 114 Total Fat 3.7g       Saturated Fat 0.4g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 21mg Sodium 182mg Carbohydrate 17.7g       Dietary Fiber 1.6g       Sugars 7.1g Protein 2.3g Vitamin A 1% Vitamin C 4% Calcium    1% Iron 3%

Favorite Whole Wheat Bread

last week my sweet friend kalisa had the kids and i over for lunch.  we were lucky enough to get there in time to enjoy a slice (okay, slices) of her homemade wheat bread fresh from the oven.  naturally, i requested a copy of the recipe and she was kind enough to share it with me.  she won't take credit for it though (she should), she just followed the instructions that came with her fancy bosch bread mixer (i covet).

now, i don't have a fancy bread mixer and i only own two bread pans so i had to 1/2 the recipe and knead the dough for 10 minutes by hand. it's okay though, it was well worth the effort and i am certain that i've found the recipe i'll be making on a weekly basis for my family.  i've tried three others already like this one, this one and this one.  it seems that in this case, four times is a charm.  this one is the keeper.

{freeze loaves in bread bags.  thaw overnight in fridge. store in fridge}

Whole Wheat Bread
(makes four large loaves - again, i made two 1/2 batches for four loaves.  the kitchen aid could not have handled any more)

7 cups whole wheat flour (+5 see below)
2/3 cup vital wheat gluten
2.5 Tbsp instant yeast
5 cups water (110 - 115 degrees {thing baby bottle warm})
2 Tbsp salt
2/3 cup oil (i used canola)
2/3 cup honey
3 Tbsp dough enhancer (purchased from this fun little store)
5 cups whole wheat flour

mix together first three ingredients in mixer with dough hook.  add water all at once and mix on speed 1 for one minute.  cover & let rest for 10 minutes (mixture will start to rise).  add salt, oil, honey & dough enhancer.  turn mixer on to speed 1 & add flour 1/2 cup at a time until dough starts to pull away from sides & bottom.  turn mixer up to speed 3 & mix for 10 minutes (bosch) OR, knead for by hand for 10 minutes on lightly floured surface.  dough should be soft & sticky.

preheat oven to 200 degrees.  divide & shape dough into loaves.  place loaves into oiled bread pan (i used spray oil).  push down around edges of pan to form a mound on top.  let dough rise in the warm oven for 30 minutes or until dough reaches over the top of the pan.  turn oven up to 350 degrees & bake for 25 minutes or until bread reaches internal temperature of 180 degrees.  remove from pan & cool on racks.

each loaf makes approximately 18 to 20 - 1/4" sandwich slices.  i used large loaf pans.  nutritional info is per slice.

Nutrition Facts Favorite Recipe Whole Wheat Bread Serving Size: 1 serving Amount Per Serving Calories 100 Total Fat 2.3g       Saturated Fat 0.1g       Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 184mg Carbohydrate 17.4g       Dietary Fiber 2.7g       Sugars 2.7g Protein 3.5g Vitamin A 0% Vitamin C 6% Calcium    0% Iron 4%

whole wheat banana bread

the kids consider this dessert and for that, i am very happy.

source.

banana bread

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (i used white whole wheat)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
dash of ground cloves
5 oz nonfat vanilla yogurt
2 very ripe banana's
1/2 cup walnuts (i forgot to add these. next time.)

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees.  in a small bowl, mash the banana's then add the brown sugar, yogurt and egg.  mix well
2. in a larger bowl, SIFT the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg & cloves.  add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and gently fold together.  do not over mix!
3. pour batter into a prepared non-stick (or lightly greased) loaf pan and bake for about 50 minutes (i baked for 45).
4. let cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pan then release and cool for 10 more minutes before slicing.


yields one loaf; 10 slices.
Each slice equals 118 calories, 1 gram of fat, 0 grams saturated fat, 26 grams of carbs and 3 grams of protein

whole wheat bread

i really want to be able to make yummy wheat bread for my family every week but my first attempt was a bust.  i didn't give up though and when i found this recipe, i felt like it looked like a promising one to try so try i did.

it was super easy to make and i have to thank my friend kalisa for letting me borrow some of her dough enhancer.  that stuff is tough to find.  thankfully she pointed me in the right direction for my next batch (thanks kalisa!).

anyway, this bread is super delicious.  the only thing about it that makes me want to continue to try different recipes is it's a little sweet for my taste. especially for sandwich bread.  i'm also not crazy over the fact that it calls for a small amount of all purpose flour.  can it be considered "whole wheat" when you use all purpose flour?  i don't know.

send me your wheat bread recipes people.  please?

the original recipe makes five medium loaves so i cut it in half and made two large loaves instead.  thank goodness i did because my kitchen aid couldn't have handled any more ingredients.

here is the recipe for five loaves.  if you really can't do the math yourself and want my calculations for two loaves, just say the word.  i will be happy to spend time sharing that information.

whole wheat bread
3 1/2 cups hot tap water
1 (12oz) can evaporated milk
3 Tbsp instant yeast
2/3 cup oil
1 cup honey
1 cup white flour
3 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp dough enhancer
12 cups white whole wheat flour
1 1/2 Tbsp salt

combine ingredients in the order given in a heavy duty mixer.  mix well after half the flour then add the other half of the flour and the salt.  add a little extra white flour as needed if the dough is too sticky (i didn't have to).  knead in mixer for 8 minutes.  dump dough onto prepared surface and spread with hand (prepared for me was simply my wooden cutting board.  i didn't need extra flour or oil).  form into a long log, then, divide into 5 loaves.  form each loaf into a log shape and place in a medium sized non-stick bread pan leaving the top round and smooth.   let rise in a warm spot until almost desired size (about 1 hour).  bake in preheated oven (350 degrees) for 25-20 minutes.  remove from oven to wire racks and brush tops with small amount of butter if desired.  let cool about 10 minutes then remove from pans and let cool completely before slicing.

yields 5 loaves (15 slices per loaf).  nutritional data for one slice:

Nutrition Facts

sisters cafe
wheat bread

Serving Size: 1 serving

Amount Per Serving


Calories109


Total Fat2.6g


Saturated Fat 0.4g


Trans Fat0g


Cholesterol1mg
Sodium145mg
Carbohydrate19.1g
Dietary Fiber2.1g


Sugars4.5g
Protein3.5g

Vitamin A 0%	Vitamin C 0%
Calcium    1%	Iron 4%