Blast from my Past.....Molasses Banana Bread Recipe

Greetings sisters, 
Here's another post from the past blog...Molasses Banana Bread.
As I'm reading these old posts and seeing the recipes, I get a twinge of longing to be baking in a real kitchen, but we're on the road so I'll have to kill that flesh:-)  I hope you enjoy this one......



We enjoy healthy snacks because sometimes in our busy carving season they become our meal.  Natural peanut butter is a mainstay in our house and I stock up when I find them at our local dent and bent.  It contains nothing more than peanuts and sometimes salt and in order to eat it (other than just off the spoon) we like to put it on breads and one favorite is banana bread.  It's a great way to not let old bananas go to waste and a healthy alternative to other quick food options, for sure.  

But wait!  Move over bananas and make room for MOLASSES!  Molasses are a powerhouse of nutrition, taste great and when combined in banana bread, well, words cannot describe it.  This recipe has replaced any and all old banana bread recipes I have and that works well in my simplification of meal time.

The fun thing about this recipe, not only is it simple to make and nourishing to the body, it almost has a consistency of a thick cake.  Its very moist but holds together well and carries peanut butter, coconut oil or nutella....very well!

Several years ago we invested in a grain mill and started out with the hand grinding part.  It's great in a survival mode but it takes a long time to grind just one cup...so I never used it much and therefore we had hundreds of pounds of soft and hard wheat in storage, waiting to be used.  We eventually moved forward and purchased the motor attachment for it and it's been such a wonderful blessing and I use it all the time.



Motor driven grain mills are a great investment (as are some of the better quality hand grinders) and I encourage people that unless they have a lot of time to stand and grind, or have a lot of children to do it for them:-) that they invest in the motorized version.  Pricing is all over the board depending on name brands and how much you want to grind at one time.  I see that today there are more lower cost options than when we got ours....6 years ago?  I can't remember because time flies by!  Anyway, if you are trying to feed your family healthy foods, a grain mill will help you eat more whole grains through healthy bread.  

We eat a lot of soup because it's nourishing and economical and so we also eat bread with it, from fresh ground wheat.  (You can also grind a lot ahead and keep it in the freezer for those days when you are in a hurry.)  It's simple, mix the wet, blend in the dry and bake.

So back to the recipe...

1/2 cup softened butter
1 egg
1 cup of molasses (yup, one whole cup that's why it's so yummy:-)
2 large bananas (about 2 cups)
1 to 1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Cream butter and mix in eggs, molasses and bananas.  We buy our molasses by the gallon so it's more economical.


My hand mixer broke and I decided not to replace it and do it the old fashioned way.  Therefore you see the lumps of butter that did not blend in well.  Still cooks up great so have no fear if you don't have the latest kitchen gadgets there's still a way to do things:-)

How to mash bananas by hand....



Mix in all the rest of the ingredients (don't over mix) and pour into a greased bread pan.



Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or done...use a toothpick to test. Poke the toothpick in the bread and if it comes out clean it's done.
If using a cast iron like I do, then lower the temp to 340 so it doesn't get too brown on the outside.

Let it cool so it slices well and for some reason it tastes better when not hot.  Just my opinion though.


We enjoy it with some healthy coconut oil on top and tastes even better with your morning coffee.


Or if you are looking for a bit of dessert after your dinner, spread on a thin layer of chocolate spread (nutella or something similar) or of course, peanut butter:-)

Oftentimes you find a wheat bread falling apart but since this has white with it, it holds together well and freezes great.

Have a joyous evening.

Love, 
Sister Deb


The biblical gospel...