Low-sugar banana bread
This low-sugar banana bread relies on the natural sweetness of plenty of very ripe bananas, with just a touch of honey and no granulated sugar. Whole wheat flour and Greek yogurt keep the loaf moist and tender with a rich, wheaty flavor, making it a light choice for breakfast or an afternoon snack.
- Difficulty
- Very easy
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 55 min
- Rising or chilling
- 1 hr
- Total time
- 2 hr 15 min
- Method
- Oven-baked
Ingredients
Batter
Mix-ins
Instructions
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 175°C with top and bottom heat, set a rack in the middle and line a 13 x 23 cm loaf pan with parchment paper. A fully preheated oven helps the loaf rise evenly without sinking in the middle. The oven is ready when it has preheated for at least fifteen minutes and the indicator light has gone off.
Step 2
Peel 400 g ripe bananas, put them in a large bowl and mash them with a fork, leaving a few small chunks if you like. Bananas are the main source of sweetness and moisture here, so the riper they are, the more flavorful the bread. They're ready when they're almost a thick puree with just a few small pieces scattered through.
Step 3
Add 100 g eggs, 80 g Greek yogurt, 60 g melted coconut oil, 40 g honey and 5 g vanilla extract to the bananas and whisk well. The yogurt makes up for the tenderness that a small amount of sugar can't provide. The mixture is ready when it's smooth, thick and evenly colored, with no white streaks of solidified coconut oil.
Step 4
Sift 120 g whole wheat flour, 120 g all-purpose flour, 5 g baking soda, 3 g baking powder, 3 g salt and 2 g ground cinnamon over the top, then fold everything together with a spatula along with 50 g walnuts, if using. Mix only until the dry flour disappears so the loaf stays tender rather than tough. The batter is ready when it's thick with no white streaks and the walnuts are evenly distributed.
Step 5
Pour the batter into the lined pan, smooth it with a spatula, then tap the pan on the counter twice to release large air bubbles. A level surface helps the loaf rise evenly and crack attractively down the middle. The pan is ready when it's about three-quarters full and the top is smooth.
Step 6
Bake at 175°C for about 50 to 60 minutes; if the top is already dark after 35 minutes, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it. Whole wheat flour and honey make this loaf brown more easily than regular banana bread. It's done when the crack on top looks dry and a skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
Step 7
Leave the bread in the pan for about fifteen minutes, then lift it out by the parchment and set it on a rack to cool completely, about an hour in total. Low-sugar bread has a soft crumb that needs to cool fully to set before slicing. It's ready when the bottom feels cool and slices hold their shape without sticking to the knife.
Equipment
- Oven
- Loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Mixing bowl
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Wire cooling rack
- Kitchen scale
Tips
- Choose bananas with lots of black spots on the peel, since very ripe bananas are much sweeter and make up for the small amount of sugar.
- You can use only whole wheat flour, but the loaf will be denser with a stronger wheat flavor.
- For a bread with no added sugar at all, leave out the honey and add another half banana.
Storage
Wrap the bread in plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for two days or in the fridge for up to five days. You can also slice it, wrap each piece individually and freeze for up to three months.
Common problems and how to fix them
- The center of the loaf is wet and dense.
- The bread wasn't baked long enough or the bananas were very watery. Bake it ten minutes longer with foil over the top, and check again with a skewer.
- The bread is dry and crumbly.
- Too much flour was measured or the bread was baked too long. Weigh the flour on a digital scale and start checking the bread at the fifty-minute mark.
This recipe is based on the common ratios for this bake and is written entirely in our own words.
