Somebody got down ‘n dirty in the kitchen last night!!
I’ve had the urge to do some baking all week long, and last night I finally had the opportunity to park myself in the kitchen and get to work. I had two ingredients that had to be used: bananas (‘cuz they’re nice ‘n ripe!) and pumpkin (because…well…do you ever need a reason to bake with pumpkin?) ;)
After doing a little research throughout blogland, I came across a winning recipe, courtesy of Angela @ Oh She Glows. This girl has always got some amazing looking goods up there, so I knew I was going to be in for a treat!
I made a couple substitutions to her original recipe, which I’ll show in the recipe below, but one of them was a new adventure for me.
You may remember a couple months back, NuNaturals contacted me, asking if I’d be interested in trying out some of their products. “Ummm, YES PLEASE!” :-D I actually forgot that I had them all up until a couple days ago, so I decided to test out the Stevia Baking Blend.
The Stevia Baking Blend can simply be substituted for an equal amount of the sugar called for in a recipe. It seemed easy enough, so I decided to give it a whirl.
Getting ready to go into the oven…Mmmmm. :-P
Aaaaand fresh outta the oven!
Honey Raisin Banana Pumpkin Bread
Adapted from Angela’s recipe which can be found here.
Ingredients:
- 2 ripe bananas
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil (I used unsweetened applesauce)
- 1 1/3 cups pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup honey
- 1/2 cup white sugar (I used Stevia Baking Blend)
- 1.5 cups whole wheat flour (I used 1 cup all purpose + .5 cup whole wheat)
- 1 cup oats
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- 3/4 cup raisins
1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a 9×5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. Mash bananas and stir in eggs, applesauce, pumpkin, honey, and Stevia Baking Blend (or sugar). In a seperate bowl mix together flour, oats, baking soda + powder, salt, spices. Add dry into wet mixture and stir until just combined. Add raisins.
3. Pour batter into pan. Bake for 55 mins or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. ENJOY! :-D
Side Note: Does anyone know why my bread always bakes with that extra “lip” hanging over????? :-x
The flavor of this bread is absolutely amazing. The subtle hint of banana layered on top of the pumpkin, with just the slightest sweetness of honey…I die.
The texture of the bread is pretty dense, and I actually ended up cooking it about 20 minutes longer than the original recipe. It appeared to be done on top, but once I sliced into it, I realized it was still pretty doughy.
Although in my book, that really is not a problem. I’ll take a little doughy over dry any day. ;)
I have a feeling this loaf is going to be trouble… :shock: I couldn’t help but dig into it first thing this morning for breakfast!
I cut myself a nice big hunk, heated it in the micro for about 15 seconds, and topped it off with a little I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Light. (The picture makes it look like I really went wild with it on there, but it’s probably only about 1/2 tsp?)
Along with a ‘naner,
And a mug of Pumpkin Spice coffee. My life is now complete.
I think I could get used to this kinda breakfast! It certainly helps make up for the wicked weather we’re having today…talk about just wanting to curl up in your sweats! :shock:
Question for the Morning:
What’s the best recipe you’ve made lately?
Shanna, like Banana says
Ooo yummmy! That totally looks like Manna bread, which is also super delish!
Best recipe most recently is my pumpkin enchiladas ;)
Liz @ Blog is the New Black says
A banana bread!
Liz @ LBBakes says
Oh my, this looks amazing. What are the benefits of stevia? I see it around blogs a lot lately, but I’m clueless. :)
I just made (and posted) maple spice sugar cookies earlier this week – I think you’ll appreciate the shapes I cut them in as a NYer!
Megan (Braise The Roof) says
That bread looks so good! I’m not a baker by any means but whenever I see any variation of banana bread that looks that good it makes me want to start baking! :)
Michelle (The Runner's Plate) says
Yum!! Last night I made homemade graham crackers!! They turned out really well!
Duchess of Fork says
I made a low fat pumpkin bread last night, too! I used 1/2 cup apple sauce and 1/2 cup yogurt instead of butter/oil. Add some whole wheat flour, pumpkin and nuts…YUM!!! :)
Jessica@tastyandtrim says
Oh my goodness that bread looks heavenly! I have seen that stevia baking blend at the health food store and wasn’t sure if it would taste as good in baked goods, but considering how great your bread turned out I want to go back and buy some! The best recipe I made lately was what I like to call “a big bowl of autumn goodness.” It contained baked sweet potato, baked apple, grilled asparagus, and mushroom risotto – definitely a recipe worth repeating :)
Courtney says
YUMM!!
CaSaundra says
This reminds me I still need to review my NuNaturals I received..what a good excuse to make this bread! ;-)
CK says
Ok – so I’m scoping out Food Network for some dinner ideas tonight and came across Pumpkin-Pie Parfait’s by Paula Dean (yes, I know – not a dinner recipe…)
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/pumpkin-pie-parfaits-recipe/index.html
Courtney says
YUMMM!!!
Healthy Coconut says
I love chewy and dense breads/cakes too. Thanks for sharing the recipe. I think I would sub the canola oil with coconut oil. You can’t really taste the oil once you’re done baking.
I made Chef Chloe’s Chocolate Strawberry Shortcake cupcakes this week. That’s the winning cupcake on Food Network’s Cupcake Wars show. It was delicious.
Dana says
My friend and I made this recipe last night with your adaptations, minus about half of the sugar, and I have to say this could be the best pumpkin banana bread ever! We had leftover batter, so we also made 24 mini muffins and they are just as delish! Thanks for sharing your adaptations!
Courtney says
That’s awesome! So glad you enjoyed it! :)
annoymous says
thank you for the recipe. I made mine a little bit less healthy as I used sugar (but cut back on the honey) and added chocolate chips instead of raisins. but I used real pumpkin puree. Baked a pumpkin, then pureed it.
Lauren says
I love this recipe! I made it with walnuts instead of raisins. I have made it twice in the last 3 weeks! It is perfect for breakfast :) Thank you so much for sharing it!
Lauren says
I love this recipe! I made it with walnuts instead of raisins. I have made it twice in the last 3 weeks! It is perfect for breakfast :) Thank you so much for sharing!
Sarah says
Looks amazing–can’t wait to try it!
As for the “lip” for when you’re baking, it’s due to your temperatures. If you start with a lower temperature, the top likely wont “seal” so quickly.
Right now, what is happening is that the top hardens a bit and creates a “seal” (can’t think of a better term for it at the moment…) but as the bread rises in baking, the top seal is forced to bake/crack, causing the lip.
Check the temperature in your oven with an oven thermometer to ensure that it really is 350, or perhaps bake at 325.
Courtney says
Thanks for the tips! :)
Holly says
I’m about to make this bread – but quick! Can I leave out the bananas? I don’t have any!!!
Courtney says
Oh gosh, I don’t know? They’re a pretty big part of the bread! But hey, I supposed it’s worth a try, right? :)
Jean says
Is this Loaf that looks absolutely delicious, bread machine whether. If so, anything l need to add or replace. Thank you, can’t wait to bake.