Quick breads make great trail companions, especially if you don’t mind scarfing down a bag of crumbly pieces. This recipe uses 100% whole wheat flour, honey, olive oil, and (surprise) blueberries. It’s an antioxidant loaf!
100% Whole Wheat Banana Bread
1/3 cup olive oil or canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/3 cup buttermilk
3 large ripe bananas, pureed
1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour (I like Bob’s Red Mill brand)
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
3/4 cup wild blueberries (frozen and thawed is fine)
Preheat your oven to 325F (165 C). Beat oil and honey together. Add eggs and buttermilk and mix well. Add bananas and vanilla. Stir in flour, salt, soda. Blend in chopped nuts and blueberries. Spread batter in a greased 9×5 inch loaf pan or split it between two smaller pans – it really fills up the 9×5 size. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes (you can test it with a clean knife or toothpick after 60 minutes).
I use wild blueberries if I can find them because they’re smaller and bake better without making the bread gooey in the middle. You could also use dried blueberries and reduce the baking time to 55 to 60 minutes.
