Does anyone else immediately think of Cheerios when they hear, “honey and oat?” That’s some impressive marketing… ANYWAYS. I’ve been wanting some banana bread but I felt like fancying it up, if that’s what you want to call it.
I wanted an overall breakfast vibe (as if I won’t eat this at all times of the day), so I thought oats and if bananas aren’t sweet enough, honey. Boom. Oh the golden nectar that is honey. Besides I had some bananas on my counter dying a really slow, horrible death, so it was time to put them out of their misery. Plus my husband asked me a solid 3 days in a row if he could throw them out – that’s how dead they were. I’m a killer. A banana killer.
I’ve been wanting to make this for some time, but every time I bought a bunch of bananas the dang kid would eat them! What is with kids wanting to eat every day? I tell you. The sheer audacity. Like friggin’ gremlins.
I actually baked this in my toaster over. Why? Because I could. I didn’t have to heat up my entire oven and the bread loaf pan fit perfectly. Pshht and I also didn’t have to unload those random iron skillets we keep hidden in there when not in use – you know you do it too. I swear I didn’t want a toaster oven and finally caved after years of my husband asking for one because you know, “I can make so much with it, Christie.” Rather, he was hoping to make endless amounts pizza rolls and other “nutritious” snacks… (FYI, pizza rolls ARE delicious, especially if you don’t care about the roof of your mouth being burnt and numb for a week after consumption). Back to my story… What happens? He uses it occasionally, at best. I use it ALL.THE.TIME. If it fits, it’s cooking my stuff. End of story.
Ingredients:
Wet:
2 Bananas, plus one for topping (remember my bananas were super ripe – go for that)
2 Eggs, large
½ C. Raw Honey
½ C. Olive Oil
¼ C. Unsweetened Almond Milk (Vanilla Almond Milk would work nicely too)
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Dry:
1 3/4 C. Gluten-free All-Purpose Baking Flour (just shy of 2 cups really – I’m horrible at measuring flour)
½ C. Gluten-free Old Fashioned Oats, plus a pinch for topping
2 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Cinnamon
½ tsp. Sea salt (or a heavy pinch)
Preheat oven to 350. Combine wet ingredients being sure to thoroughly mash the bananas. Then mix in dry ingredients combining well. Do not over stir – we want tender banana bread, not ‘had a hard life’ tough banana bread here. Pour batter into a parchment-lined or sprayed bread pan. I, for one, had the hardest time with getting my parchment paper to work so I ended up giving up and spraying the damn pan… Top with additional sliced banana and sprinkle with oats. Bake for 45 minutes, being sure to watch (everyone’s oven is different after all). Do the classic ‘is it baked through test’ with a toothpick. Allow to cool and rest for 10 minutes. You could take this a step further and drizzle a little honey over the top – I didn’t and deeply regret it. Slice and enjoy.
Adapted from Naturally Nutritious, recipe here.
