Sprouted Spelt Banana Bread
This sprouted spelt banana bread is equally suited for a weekday breakfast or fancy brunch. Paired with nut butter, it’s also a perfect post-workout snack.
I’m turning to one of our family’s long-time favorites today. I’ve been making this spelt banana bread in different variations for years.
Many of you may recognize this as similar to Elliott’s Banana Bread on my old site, CooksAid.com. You may also have seen the spin-off on this site: banana bread mini muffins. It’s originally adapted from a recipe in Nancy Clark’s Sports Nutrition Guidebook, which I purchased as a dietetic intern in 1997.
Since then, I have made the recipe in various forms, and what I love most is that it produces such nourishing and delicious bread. In addition, it’s a reliable, stable recipe—it always comes out well regardless of my substitutions or experimentation!
Chocolate Please!
One early addition was chocolate chips. I guess you could say this makes up for some of the sugar I cut out! Haha. But who else agrees that chocolate is one of life’s greatest pleasures? I know my kids do. I generally seek out the darkest chocolate chips I can find, 60% cocoa or higher. If that’s not available, you can always chop up a dark chocolate bar!
(And, full disclosure: I no longer measure out the chocolate chips as I did when I was a young dietitian…I pour them on until it “looks good.” )
Spelt Flour
Our current go-to banana bread uses sprouted spelt flour. Spelt is an ancient form of wheat that has been a staple in Europe for centuries. Sprouting any grain brings out the flavor and enhances some nutrients; research suggests it also makes it easier to digest.* I use sprouted spelt flour for everything from pancakes to cookies to muffins. If you can’t find sprouted spelt flour, regular spelt flour will do. You could also make it with white whole wheat or pastry flour, which, like spelt, are also both made from whole grain wheat.
Workout Fuel or Fika
This bread is delicious with a dollop of peanut or almond butter. Whether as a pre-workout breakfast or for post-workout refueling.
It’s also delicious with coffee for when you have fika** and adds joy to any child’s breakfast or after-school snack. My kids prefer theirs with a glass of cold milk.
Well-Ripened Bananas
One more note before I bring you that recipe: for the best banana bread, use well-ripened bananas. Just slightly spotty bananas will not be as sweet as those well-browned bananas since they are not as sweet. Have a few ripe bananas but not time to make banana bread? Peel them and store them in your freezer until you need them!
Sprouted Spelt Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 medium well-ripened bananas
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons avocado, canola, or grapeseed oil
- ⅓ cup unsweetened plant-based milk (or dairy milk if not dairy-free)
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup sugar (or use ¼ cup maple syrup and reduce milk to ¼ cup); note, the more ripe the bananas, the more natural sweetness they provide
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 cups sprouted spelt flour
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips make sure dairy-free if needed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Grease a 4×8 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or oil.
- Peel bananas and add them to a large bowl. Mash with a fork.
- Add everything except for the flour and chocolate chips to the mashed bananas. Beat with an electric mixer.
- Slowly add the flour to the banana mixture, mixing on low speed just until combined.
- Pour batter into loaf pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips on unbaked bread, pushing in slightly with oon or finger tops.
- Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before removing from pan.
*https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/sprouted-grains-nutritious-regular-whole-grains-2017110612692
**Fika (noun and verb) is the Swedish custom of taking time out of one’s busy day to sit down and savor coffee (or tea) and a little something sweet to nibble on or perhaps an open-faced sandwich. It’s a chance to hit pause and slow down and connect with friends, family, or co-workers. But of course, you can fika alone too; just put down that phone and mindfully savor it. Read more about fika here!
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