Vegan Maple Sweetened Banana Bread
Vegan Maple Sweetened Banana Bread
~ fluffy maple banana bread loaded with pools of melty chocolate ~
This banana bread will be your new FAVOURITE recipe. It is completely vegan and uses maple syrup and over-ripe bananas as the sweeteners! No refined sugars involved. This loaf is fluffy, spongy, and decadent. The maple syrup adds a delicious flavour to the sponge and the over-ripe banana's provide it with extra sweetness. If you want this recipe to be refined sugar free, make sure to use pure maple syrup and non-refined chocolate. The chocolate is optional, but it is highly recommended.
Personally, banana bread is one of my favourite things to bake. I have used this recipe for so long now. It is pretty much my comfort recipe. It works every time and is so easy to customise. As a vegan baker, banana bread is one of the easiest things to bake. Bananas are classed as an egg replacer, but of course they have a strong flavour meaning you can't really use them in anything that is not banana flavoured. This is why banana bread is so easy to make for a vegan. There is no need to use extra egg replacers because you use 3 bananas instead.
I recently found out you could toast banana bread... I dont know why I had never thought of it before! It is so simple and with a little butter and maple syrup, it is so tasty. If you make this loaf, make sure you toast a piece.
If you would rather use normal sugar instead of maple syrup, you definitely can. I have made it with both and they work pretty much the same. I personally prefer using maple syrup instead of sugar purely because of the flavour. Of course, theres the added bonus that using maple syrup turns out to be better for our bodies. Even though maple syrup is a liquid, you can use a 1:1 ratio when substituting maple syrup for sugar. Your loaf will be slightly softer when you use maple syrup, but it tastes better in my opinion.
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Equipment and Ingredient notes
Equipment needed:
- Large mixing bowl
- Whisk / fork
- Wooden spoon / spatula
- Sharp knife
- Loaf pan
- Measuring cups / kitchen scales
- Measuring spoons
Ingredient notes:
Bananas - Make sure to use extremely over-ripe bananas for the best flavour and sweetness! The skin should be mostly / all black. The blacker the skin, the sweeter the banana. Use 3 large bananas or 4 small.
Oil - I highly recommend using olive oil for the best flavour. I always use olive oil in my baking because it enhances the flavours in a lot of baked goods and it is much better for your health due to its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Maple Syrup - Be sure to use pure maple syrup. Often brands of maple syrup contain additives so look for a good quality one with no ingredients. They should only contain PURE maple syrup! Don't skimp out on the amount of maple syrup, its the only sweetener other than the bananas. If you use less, it won't taste as good.
Plant milk - I usually use oat milk but you can use whichever one you prefer. Some of my favourites are; oat, soy, coconut, almond, etc.
Vanilla - Make sure to use GOOD QUALITY vanilla extract or paste! Trust me, it makes a very big difference. It might be more expensive, but if you bake a lot it is so worth it.
Flour - Make sure you use self-raising flour. This allows for a fluffy, high rising loaf. I use self-raising flour in all of my cakes.
Baking powder - This creates a level bake and inflates the loaf, creating bubbles to stop it from becoming dense and chewy. Baking powder contains baking soda and an acidic substance so it does not require you to activate it with your own separate acidic solution. It also contains a small amount of corn-starch that keeps it from activating when it is being stored.
Baking soda - This is also known as bicarbonate of soda. This is used to create a light and fluffy sponge.
Vegan chocolate chunks - If you want your loaf to contain no refined sugars, make sure to go for a brand that uses non-refined chocolate.
Salt - I use flaky sea salt.
Add-ins - This recipe is so easy to customise. Sometimes I add in chopped nuts, peanut butter, vegan chocolate spread, etc.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step one (the batter):
Peel your over-ripe bananas and break them into bite sized pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl.
With a whisk or fork, mash your bananas until smooth.
Add in your maple syrup, vanilla extract, oil and plant milk. If you want to add some peanut butter or other add ins, you can do that now. Whisk until fully combined.
Then add in the dry ingredients. Flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until no big lumps remain.
Now add in your chocolate chunks. Save a few for the top of the loaf. Gently fold them into the batter.
Step two (baking):
Line an average size loaf pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease the pan with vegan butter or coconut oil.
Pre-heat your oven to 180c conventional oven / 160c fan oven.
Scoop your batter into the load pan and smooth the top. Now you can add some extra vegan chocolate chips and whatever else you would like to add.
Place on the middle shelf of your pre-heated oven and bake for 50 minutes until golden brown. Insert a skewer / toothpick into the center of your loaf and if it comes out clean, its ready.
Let it cool completely in the loaf pan, cut and enjoy!
Storage: This can be kept covered at room temperature for 3 days or refrigerated for up to a week. It can also be frozen for up to 1 and a half months.
The History of Banana Bread
Alexandra the Great, the former kind of Macedonia, conquered parts of India in 327 BCE and it is said that he ''discovered'' bananas. However, Archaeological records indicate that the banana had been cultivated a long time before that but this was the first written record of any trace of them.
Banana bread first started to become popular in America and made its way into many American cookbooks in the 1930s. It began gaining popularity after the popularization of baking powder and baking soda in 1930. The origin of the first banana bread made is unknown, but many believe that it was created by housewives in the 18th century that were experimenting with pearlash. Home baking became popular again in the 1960s and many people realised how simple the banana bread recipe was, and the recipe began to blow up in popularity.
Banana bread was a very common recipe during the Great Depression (1929 - 1939) since it costs very little to make and uses very common ingredients.
In 2020 as the covid-19 lockdown began, the popularity of banana bread increased by 525% in the UK. Since people were very bored during the lockdown, there was a baking craze from 2020-2021. Most people were getting stocked up on food and they found themselves with many leftover bananas and flour. This is why it became extremely popular, once again.
Tips and tricks
Measuring ingredients - For most of my recipes, I use and recommend you to use kitchen scales to measure out your ingredients. It is the most accurate way to measure but in this recipe I used measuring cups instead. This is because my scales would not work at the time so I decided to use cups instead. You can use either though.
Bananas - I recommend using over-ripe bananas in banana bread because it gives it a softer texture and is much easier to work with. You preferably want them to be a nice yellow colour with many brown spots on and they feel quite soft. This will also save you from throwing any un-used bananas out! I often make this recipe when our weekly bananas are running low and there are only a couple ones left, which are too ripe to eat, but absolutely perfect for a delicious banana bread.
Add-ins - I add in vegan chocolate and chopped hazelnuts and almonds, because that is my ultimate favourite banana bread combo, but you can add in whatever you like, or what you have on hand. Some other delicious add-ins are; peanut butter, walnuts, dried fruit and mixed seeds.
How do you get the crack down the middle of the loaf? - Before putting your loaf into the oven, take a knife and score a line down the middle of the batter. Once baked, it will have a beautiful crack down the middle.
Bakers tip - Scrunch up your baking paper before lining your loaf pan! It makes it so much easier because it helps the parchment paper stay in place.
Overmixing the batter - You really want to try your best to not overwork your batter, because it will lead to your loaf being chewy and dense rather than soft, light and fluffy. When you mix a batter too much, it overworks the gluten and crushes any air bubbles leaving you with a dense loaf.
~ Fluffy, moist, indulgent banana bread ~
Prep time: 15 mins Serves: 8 slices Cook time: 50 mins
Ingredients:
- 3 large / 4 small over-ripe bananas
- 1/3 cup sunflower oil / or other neutral tasting oils (75g)
- 1/4 cup oat milk / any other plant milk (60ml)
- 1/3 cup pure maple syrup / or another sweetener (110g)
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste / extract
- 1 + 3/4 cups self-raising flour (216g)
- 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup vegan unrefined chocolate chunks / optional (140g)
Method:
Pre-heat your oven to 180c conventional oven / 160c fan oven.
Line an average size loaf pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, grease the pan with vegan butter or coconut oil.
Peel your over-ripe bananas and break them into bite sized pieces. Place in a large mixing bowl.
With a whisk or fork, mash your bananas until smooth.
Add in your maple syrup, vanilla extract, oil and plant milk. If you want to add some peanut butter or other add ins, you can do that now. Whisk until fully combined.
Then add in the dry ingredients. Flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Whisk until no big lumps remain.
Now add in your chocolate chunks. Save a few for the top of the loaf. Gently fold them into the batter.
Scoop your batter into the load pan and smooth the top. Now you can add some extra vegan chocolate chips and whatever else you would like to add.
Place on the middle shelf of your pre-heated oven and bake for 50 minutes until golden brown. Insert a skewer / toothpick into the center of your loaf and if it comes out clean, its ready.
Let it cool completely in the loaf pan, cut and enjoy!
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