I’ve been making lots of banana breads lately because Pete really likes it and I think I’ve found the most delicious combination! Here it is:
Cinnamon Flax Banana Bread
- 3 or 4 very ripe organic bananas
- 1/3 cup melted organic butter
- 1 cup organic coconut sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
- 1 organic egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
- 1 teaspoon baking soda (aluminum-free)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups of organic all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup ground flax seed
- chopped walnuts (optional)
- sugar for sprinkling on top of loaf
Directions: (I use a stand mixer with the whisk attachment but you can use the batter attachment or a hand mixer): mix bananas well until smooth(ish). Add sugar and continue beating. Add butter, egg, vanilla and continue beating. Ad cinnamon, salt, and baking soda and continue beating. Everything should be smooth and well incorporated. Next add the flour 1/2 cup at a time until just combined (do not continuously beat at this point you just want the flour incorporated). Add fax seed and chopped walnuts. Pour batter into 8×4 loaf pan and sprinkle top with sugar. Bake at 350º for 1 hour. Cool on rack. Remove from pan, slice and enjoy!
I love the cinnamon which most recipes don’t call for. Pete loves walnuts but I’ve also added semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips. I use bananas that are nearly black. It doesn’t matter how bruised they are but they are SO sweet for breads right before they liquify! Added bonus you can buy “old” bananas for really cheap at your grocery store. I don’t like chunks of bananas in my bread but if you do you could add one banana at the end so it doesn’t get blended completely. 
It comes out so moist and delicious!
Why flax?
Thirteen centuries ago King Charlemagne believed so strongly in the health benefits of flaxseed that he passed laws requiring his subjects to consume it. It is a wonderful food and easy to add to things with its mildly nutty flavor. Some of the benefits of flax;
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), a powerful omega-3.
- Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods. Lignans may help protect against certain types of cancer
- Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.
- Polyunsaturated fat. This is the good fat that can lower cholesterol.
Why Coconut Sugar?
I’ve been looking for a truly unprocessed sugar and coconut sugar is just that. I love this great post about natural sugars at Food Renegade. It was very eye-opening about things like agave nectar and truvia that are touted as “natural”. Coconut sugar is tapped from a coconut tree like maple syrup is tapped from maple trees. The only additional processing is to let it crystalize. It does not taste overly like coconut but it has equal sweetness to sugar so it substitues 1:1. It is expensive so I use it when I can. When I can’t afford it I at least buy organic sugar.
My grocery store had coconut sugar or you can order it online here (I have no affiliation with them).
Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
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