The best low-fat banana bread

[catharine]

Bananas are a staple in my house. My husband eats so many bananas you wouldn't believe me if I told you. We buy a tremendous amount of bananas every week, and inevitably wind up with a few overripe ones.

I am telling you this because you should believe me when I tell you that I have tried many banana recipes...all kinds of banana bread, the banana nut energy bars, the double banana pound cake, etc.... and this recipe is by far the best banana bread I have ever made. Even my husband, who loves bananas but doesn't eat desserts, loves this bread.

I am so excited I had to share it with you. I found it on epicurious.com. Here it is. (There are further reviews of this recipe, along with suggestions for variations, on the website):

LOW-FAT BANANA BREAD

Here, buttermilk replaces nearly all of the oil. Very ripe bananas give the best flavor.

2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup smashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
1/3 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon vegetable oil [I substituted smucker's fat substitute].
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2-inch pan; dust with flour. Using electric mixer; beat eggs and sugar in large bowl until thick and light, about 5 minutes. Mix in smashed bananas, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt over mixture; beat until just blended. Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake bread until golden brown on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Turn bread out onto rack and cool.

Makes 1 loaf.


I don't have the nutritional info. If anyone plugs this into Mastercook and would like to post it that would be great!

Enjoy!

[almiter]

Here is the nutritional info based on 8 servings:

Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 240 Calories; 3g Fat (12.4% calories from fat); 5g Protein; 48g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 47mg Cholesterol; 359mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 1/2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1/2 Fat; 1 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.

Cant wait to try it!

[makedah]

Thanks for the tip. I don't like ripe bananas, so I would always have some that were too ripe (what most people would consider sweet). I fell in love with banana bread. I haven't eaten it since I started trying to lose weight, and I've been afraid of most light recipes. All that said, I'll be trying this recipe this weekend!

[catharine]

Jewel, I would love to try the Jamaican Banana Bread. I did a search and came up with tons of great reviews, but no recipe. Would you (or someone else) mind posting the recipe? It is amazing how many recipes are out there.

If anyone else has favorites I would love to try them. Thanks!

[JoanneOR]

This banana bread recipe is definitely not light, but it is fabulous, and I'm not even a big banana bread fan! It makes 2 very large or 4 small loaves, so you can probably halve the recipe. Here it is:

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Ingredients
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter
3 cups white sugar
3 eggs
6 very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking soda
1 (16 ounce) package sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions
1 Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7 x 3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2 In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and cinnamon. Add salt, baking soda, and flour to above mixture, and mix well. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3 Bake for 1 hour, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.



Makes 4 small loaves

[schuh]

Catharine, I agree with you. I've made that recipe several times and it's very good.

[CHRIST1NE]

Here you go Catharine... it is delicious!
* Exported from MasterCook *

Jamaican Banana Bread

2 tablespoons stick margarine -- softened
2 tablespoons tub light cream cheese -- softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons dark rum
1/2 teaspoon grated lime rind
2 teaspoons lime juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped pecans -- toasted
1/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons margarine
2 teaspoons lime juice
2 teaspoons dark rum
2 tablespoons chopped pecans -- toasted
2 tablespoons flaked sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to slightly less than 375º. Coat an 8 × 4-inch loaf pan with cooking spray; set aside.

Beat 2 tablespoons margarine and cheese at medium speed of a mixer; add 1 cup sugar, beating well. Add egg; beat well.

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir well. Combine banana and next 5 ingredients (banana through vanilla); stir well. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture alternately with banana mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; mix after each addition. Stir in 1/4 cup pecans and 1/4 cup coconut.

Pour batter into prepared pan; bake at 375º for 60 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan. Let cool slightly on a wire rack.

Combine brown sugar and 2 teaspoons each margarine, lime juice, and rum in a saucepan; bring to a simmer. Cook 1 minute; stir constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons each pecans and coconut; spoon over loaf.

Serving Size: 1 slice

Source:
"Cooking Light, March 1997, p.110"
Yield:
"1 loaf"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 188 Calories; 5g Fat (22.5% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 33g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 13mg Cholesterol; 105mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 1/2 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1 Other Carbohydrates.

[This message has been edited by CHRIST1NE (edited 03-30-2001).]

[This message has been edited by CHRIST1NE (edited 03-30-2001).]

[Beth]

This past week, I needed an instant dessert to take with dinner to a friend in chemotherapy. My 4 yr old was getting restless with my cooking, I had already run to the store in pouring rain to replace the shredded cheese that went moldy a month and a half before it's pull date and I was out of time and patience. I had some overripe bananas and found a white cake mix on the shelf.

I gave my 4 yr old the banana mashing task (2 old bananas plus half of another one that needed to be used) then threw in the cake mix, 2 eggs (the alternate for 3 egg whites shown on the box), 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce in place of the oil and 1 1/2 tsp baking spice. Baked it in square pans and topped it with a lowfat cream cheese icing. It would have been good plain or dusted with powdered sugar too.

Just thought I'd pass this along for another ripe banana alternative. I can never have too many of those.

[Tiger]

I always wanted to try the Jamaican Bread because of all the great reviews, but I don't keep in dark rum. Could I use light rum or no rum at all?

[chefbec]

Originally posted by Tiger:
I always wanted to try the Jamaican Bread because of all the great reviews, but I don't keep in dark rum. Could I use light rum or no rum at all?

Yes, I've used light rum (it was all I had) and it was delicious. I would think that if you don't add any rum, you might add another liquid of some kind, like water or juice.

[Tiger]

Thanks Chefbec- maybe I'll make it this weekend!

[Melina]

Sounds like a great Banana Bread recipe. I have enough ripe bananas for two
loaves but I'd like to try to make one a chocolate banana bread. I was thinking of adding about 1/4 cup of cocoa and maybe 2 ounces of mini chocolate chips to one of them. Can anyone tell me if I should also add more sugar or if this will work at all???
Thanks,
Melina

[aggie94]

Thanks Catharine! I am always looking for uses for my overripe bananas, but my favorite banana bread recipe is LOADED with fat and calories. I will try this one this weekend.

Another good use I've found for overripe bananas is the Banana-Mango Smoothie (Mar '01). I use frozen berries instead of mango, and it is a great before or after-workout snack or meal.

[Jewel]

This one looks great, and I can't wait to try it! Our other favorite is CL's Jamaican Banana Bread, which is also lowfat!

[CHRIST1NE]

Tiger, look for the little airplane size bottles of rum in your liquor store. They work GREAT whenever you need just a little. My liquor store has all kinds in that size - what a life saver.

[JA]

Melinda, I often add chocolate chips to my lowfat banana breads (I frequently substitute plain non fat yogurt for the butter)and everyone loves them! No extra sugar. I've never done cocoa - that would be interesting.
Julie

[woodsl]

I am sure others have tried this - but when I have really ripe bananas and don't have time to cook banana bread or a banana cake before the bananas completely turn black, I peel them and freeze them in freezer bags. When I need to use them, I pop them in the microwave for about a minute to thaw. They look like the devil (watery and mushy), but they work great in recipes. You can also freeze them in chunks and blend the frozen chunks into smoothies - delicious!

[CHRIST1NE]

oops, wrong thread.

[This message has been edited by CHRIST1NE (edited 03-31-2001).]

[Melina]

Hi JA,
Thanks for the information. I also use nonfat yogurt in some of my baking, but I'm always a little nervous to try it in something new. Now I don't have to worry. And I am going to try making a chocolate one.
Thanks again,
Melina

[Melina]

Hi woodsl,
I'm one of the people who didn't know about freezing bananas. I love bananas, but lose a lot of them to over ripening. I can only shop once a week, and sometimes they don't make it through seven days. I was so glad to learn that I can freeze them for baking and shakes. Thanks a lot.
Melina

[makedah]

I made this recipe this morning. I am very pleased. It is a very moist bread. I am sure that I used more banana than the recipe called for, and that contributed to it, no doubt. My bananas were large, not medium. I also tossed in 1/4 c. coarsely chopped walnuts. Hey, they're GOOD fats! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif And, I used 1T no-salt-added butter instead of veggie oil. This will definitely replace my yummy but high fat Better Homes recipe. Thanks so much for the tip.



[This message has been edited by makedah (edited 04-01-2001).]

[Getfitn2001]

Catharine,
I used your recipe yesterday, and the banana bread came out just great. I also added chopped walnuts. This recipe is much better than my other banana bread recipe. Thanks for posting.

[lanie]

Here are some banana breads from Cook's Illustrated:

THE BEST BANANA BREAD

Makes one 9-inch loaf

Greasing and flouring only the bottom of a regular loaf pan causes the bread to cling to the sides and rise higher. If using a nonstick loaf pan, on which the sides are very slick, grease and flour sides as well as the bottom.

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.

2. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

BANANA-CHOCOLATE BREAD

Follow recipe for The Best Banana Bread, reducing sugar to 10 tablespoons and mixing 2 1/2 ounces grated bittersweet chocolate (a heaping 1/2 cup) into dry ingredients.

BANANA-COCONUT BREAD WITH MACADAMIA NUTS

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Toast 1/2 cup flaked, sweetened coconut and 1 cup chopped macadamia nuts on small cookie sheet, stirring every 2 minutes, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Follow recipe for the Best Banana Bread, substituting toasted macadamias and coconut for walnuts.

ORANGE-SPICE BANANA BREAD

Follow recipe for The Best Banana Bread, adding 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons grated orange zest to dry ingredients.


March, 1998



[This message has been edited by lanie (edited 04-01-2001).]

[woodsl]

Catharine,

I made your Low-Fat Banana Bread tonight, and it is wonderful. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif You're right; it is the best banana bread I have ever made. I can't believe it's low-fat. I will take the rest to the office tomorrow and my co-workers will love it.

I am excited. I just realized that I have graduated; I am no longer a junior member. I also figured out how to insert one of the smiley faces. Am I easy to entertain, or what!


[This message has been edited by woodsl (edited 04-01-2001).]

[makedah]

Have any of you frozen this (or any other quick bread)? Do you do it in slices or by the chunk? I think that next time I'll make two and freeze one in slices.

[catharine]

I have frozen banana bread with great results. I never thought of pre-slicing - good idea. I usually cut into chunks and wrap in foil, then plastic.

[mariakj]

Catharine,

Thank you so much for the low-fat banana bread recipe. IT IS SO GOOD! I made it last night and was blown away. My husband ate half the loaf. Thank you so much. We love banana bread, but I hadn't found a good low-fat recipe. The buttermilk really did the trick. It was fantastic. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[schuh]

I have frozen that banana bread with success.
In fact, it's one of the items that frequently finds its way into my "food for new moms" delivery.

[kwormann]

for freezing, I usually slice, then wrap 3-4 slices together in fol, then put all the foil packets in a large freezer bag.

Kim ps woodsl...congrats on being memeber AND on the faces..... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[maureen k]

I have been making this banana bread for years and have given the recipe to many people. I found it on the epicurious web sight.
If there is any left over, I toast it for breakfast with a little light butter and it is wonderful. I've also used it for french toast! Yummy!!

[catharine]

I am so pleased that you all liked this recipe as much as I did. I went out and bought one of those mini loaf pans that makes four loaves .

Any advice on how to modify the cooking time? I did 50 minutes (original recipe was one hour) and that was too long. Of course, I will try 40-45 next time, but was wondering whether anyone had any experience with mini-loaves.

Also, I made the [b]Jamaican Banana Bread last night and *loved* it. Very different flavor. I like the glaze/topping, although I think it makes it more into a cake. Too sweet for breakfast. Next time I will make it plain. But thanks so much for the recomendation and the recipe.

[This message has been edited by catharine (edited 04-07-2001).]

[Curleytop]

I,too, made the Jamaican Banana Bread! I don't like bananas in any shape or form http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif
I made it for my dh who loves bananas. HE DIDN'T LIKE IT! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif Go figger!

[kwormann]

I just made the banana bread, and in my mother's tradition, added mini chocolate chips!

Kim

[Anne]

Thanks for the great recipe. I had a few cranberries in the freezer and added them along with a few toasted hazelnuts. A definite keeper!

[aggie94]

catharine,

Thanks again for posting this recipe. I made it last weekend, and it was great. Tasted as good as my full fat (and I do mean full!) banana bread, maybe even better!

[catharine]

I am so glad you all liked the recipe as much as I did.

BTW, did anyone have an answer to my question about how long to bake in the mini-loaf pans? Thanks.

[This message has been edited by catharine (edited 04-13-2001).]

[makedah]

BTW -- I did freeze half of my loaf. I sliced it into 8 slices and wrapped two at a time in saran wrap then put them in a freezer bag. I take a two-slice pack out of the fridge and put it in my bookbag. When I'm ready for it, it is thawed. I warm it up in the microwave. SOO yummy and moist.

MANY THANKS FOR THIS RECIPE

[jd]

catharine, thanks for the recipe! We had a taste off at Easter comparing your recipe with the Jamaican Banana Bread, and yours won hands down!

[Wendy w]

Catharine,

Thank you so much for posting this recipe. I made it this weekend and really loved it-despite it being without nuts. That was ok with my niece, who is allergic and my roomie, who hates them.

It was very moist and flavorful and did not taste "light". I substituted applesauce for the oil and will need to make more as I have a freezer full of overripe bananas! Thanks again!

[karen w]

Catharine,

I have to say thanks as well for the recipe. I think this may become my new favorite banana bread recipe!

Karen W.

[Paula H]

Catharine

I just HAVE to add my thanks for the recipe to everyone else's. I've been looking for a great banana bread recipe for ages, and have made a lot that came out like wallpaper glue. Yours is just what I remember eating when I was a kid, AND then it's low in fat. My search is over.

[Char Finamore]

I've made the Jamacian banana bread several times and love it. I've always used rum extract since I don't usually have rum around. I cut it into pieces, wrap individually and freeze. It is quick to pull out of the freezer to have for breakfast or snack at work!

[Kym]

I logged on to this sight in an attempt to find a CL recipe from a few years ago, and had a blast reading the posts!

I'll be sure to try Catherine's recipe for banana bread as it sounds delicious. However, the recipe I'm looking for pre-dates my return to Canada, so sometime before November of '95 CL had a banana-nut bread recipe that contained such ingredients as egg-substitute and non-fat yogourt, & walnuts. It seems to me there were no additional seasonings. It was an excellent moist bread, and I'll really love to find it again.
I moved all my CL issues back to Canada with me, and brought them to work to encourage my co-workers to plan healthier meals for our clients (supported adults). I discovered when I recently resigned that all my copies had vanished! As such, all my favourite recipes are gone.
I would appreciate any help with this. You sound like a knowledgable group who has fun with food.

Kym

[Mamasue]

Kym....would this be it.

* Exported from MasterCook *

Banana-Nut Bread

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 14 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Breads Cooking Light 1994


Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 cup mashed very ripe banana -- (3 small)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup margarine -- melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 egg white
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chopped pecans -- toasted
Baking spray with flour

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer until well blended.

Combine flour and next 3 ingredients; stir in pecans. Add flour mixture to banana mixture, stirring just until moistened. Spoon batter into an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 3-inch loaf pan coated with baking spray and flour.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 5 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan, and cool completely on a wire rack.

(serving size: 1 slice)

Source:
"Cooking Light, Jul/Aug 1994, page 60"
Copyright:
"© Cooking Light"
Yield:
"1 loaf"

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Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 162 Calories; 5g Fat (28.8% calories from fat); 3g Protein; 26g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 14mg Cholesterol; 171mg Sodium. Exchanges: 1 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 0 Non-Fat Milk; 1 Fat; 1/2 Other Carbohydrates.


Nutr. Assoc. : 84 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

[Kym]

Thank-you so much! I do believe that is it. I don't know where I got egg-substitute from, but the rest of it sounds exactly right. I'll get baking soon.
I hope I'm responding correctly, as I'm new to the forum concept. Is there some way I can print just the post with the recipe on it?
Thanks again.

[suziking]

Does anyone know if there comes a point in a banana's life that it is just too ripe for banana bread and just needs to be thrown away?

[catharine]

I don't know. I have used bananas that were almost completely black with no apparent negative consequences.