Banana Bread Without Sugar Katie Berry
1 oz. raisins or sultanas (~1/8 cup)
1/2 cup warm water
5 large bananas very ripe (about 2 cups)
2 cups whole wheat flour (or 1 c whole wheat and 1 c all-purpose)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 cup butter softened
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
SOAK THE RAISINS
Soak the raisins in the warm water until they're swollen. (10 minutes, but overnight is fine, too.)
MAKE THE BREAD
Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan. Drain the raisins and transfer them to the bowl of a food processor or blender. Add the bananas and blend until they're pureed. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. These are your dry ingredients. In the bowl of stand mixer or large bowl, beat butter and eggs well. Add vanilla to the mixer bowl and continue beating. Add banana/raisin mixture and continue mixing until well-combined. These are your wet ingredients. Stir the dry ingredients by hand into the wet ingredients. Do NOT over-mix. (Batter will be very thick.) Scoop batter into loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake in preheated oven 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean. Remove loaf from oven, let cool 10 minutes, then tip the loaf out to continue cooling on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without butter.
TIP: Don’t worry if your bananas aren’t ripe yet. Wash and dry each one, then put them on a cookie sheet and pop it into a 300°F oven for an hour. The skins will turn black as the heat converts the fruit’s starches to sugar, which is exactly what happens in the ripening process.
PREP TIME: 10 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 1 HOUR
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 10 MINUTES
SERVINGS: 1 LOAF
Source: House Wife How-Tos
