Whole Wheat Banana Bread

It's been the longest time since I blogged. With a toddler and a four-month-old, my hands have been full, literally, it's been a busy time. It has also been my happiest time. It's incredible how entertained two lil boys can keep you. I'd be lying if I said I haven't missed having time for much else though. It feels good to be back to my other happy place; this blog. To think that I haven't been here in almost a year is just difficult to imagine, but it's true. While all this time, I never gave up on my kitchen or love for baking, I definitely didn't make time for my blog, even contemplating ever coming back but that was such a passing thought. Of course, I had to come back. This is where my two passions meet; cooking and writing. Reminds me of Laurie Colwin's book "Writer in the kitchen" which by the way has been on my wishlist for so long. Maybe I'll get myself a copy when I am done writing this blog. Has any of you read this book? I'd love to know what you think about it. I'm told it's a must-read for anyone with a passion for cooking.

Being a mom of two has definitely brought in some changes in the house. One of the important ones is sticking to even easier and quicker recipes to try than I used to before. And two littles to care for also means having a lot of energy, and so I've been trying to eat healthier and get fitter this year. Not my first attempt and probably not the last, but I do feel like I have a better understanding of health this time. One of the significant things I've learnt is that getting fit doesn't mean giving up all the foods you love, but more like making small changes, simple swaps, healthier choices and certainly a lifestyle change more than anything else. Not to forget, occasional cheats.

One of the simple swaps I've been making is using wheat flour in place of all purpose flour (maida) in some of the baking recipes I've been trying. Kid you not, I haven't been a fan of baking with wheat flour ever. But like many things in life, wheat flour deserves another chance too. So I did give in, and it turns out I was so wrong about it all this time. This bread turned out moist, and the bananas can take credit for that, but it was also light and just delicious. And the rule with using bananas while baking that has worked for me is, riper the bananas, tastier the cake. While the recipe does say this is banana bread, I think it easily passes off for a cake. The recipe also suggests using chocolate chips, and I didn't have any in my kitchen, so I chopped up a bar of regular chocolate I had lying around, for a lil extra kick, but that's entirely optional.

Another simple swap was using honey in place of sugar. It definitely was a more organic choice, although I'm not sure of the calorie difference it would have made. Also, what felt so good, was using just 1/4th a cup of honey than tossing in a whole cup of sugar. Considering the bananas also add to the sweetness, if you're happy how the batter tastes without the honey, you could skip that too.

Let's get to my comeback recipe then, shall we?

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Ingredients:

6 small bananas, or 3 large ones (ripe as can be, overripe is even better)

1/3 cup oil (coconut or regular, I used coconut)

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 cup wheat flour

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup choco chips ( or like I did, use a regular bar of chocolate, all chopped up) This is entirely optional.

Method:

1. First things first. Preheat the oven to a 180 C and grease and line a medium sized loaf tin.

2. In a large bowl, toss in the peeled bananas. Mash gently with a fork. It doesn't need to be a smooth mixture of mash. Add the oil and mix the two,  using your cake beater.

3. Next go in the eggs, one at a time. Follow up with the vanilla and the milk.

4. Time to add in the wheat flour and the baking soda, little at a time. Keep beating with your cake mixer. Lastly, add in the honey and the choco chips and give it a good mix. Your batter is good to go.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin and put to bake in the middle rack of your pre-heated oven and bake for about 40 mins

6. Try the old-fashioned way of testing if your cake is done by inserting a toothpick in the middle of the cake at the end of 40 mins. If the toothpick comes out clean, your banana bread is ready.

7. Take the bread out of the oven, indulge in a little bit of patience and let it cool for a bit before you turn it out on a board and cut a slice.