The Casual Vegan

After having had a piece of banana bread at a coffee shop the other day from a local bakery that makes understated vegan breads, I decided I wanted to make some of my own for a fraction of the price with a fraction of the sugar. I adapted a recipe out of John Robbin’s awesome book, May All Be Fed. Nearly half of this book is hearty, vegan recipes by Jia Patton, along with other friends and family of Robbins. So I stocked up on a few things in the bulk department of our Co-op — baking soda, baking powder, whole wheat pastry flour, and blackstrap molasses. The bulk section was a great way to get these items, because I didn’t need to get any more than I was planning on using and the prices by pound were lower than were I to buy them pre-packaged. For instance, I only needed 1 teaspoon of baking powder for my bread– and since I’m not planning on doing much baking in the near future, I just got a small amount (which will probably end up being enough to make several more loaves of bread anyway).

molasses

The recipe in Robbin’s book had actually called for maple syrup, but I wanted to incorporate molasses instead, making the bread more dense nutritionally. It was kind of awesome getting molasses out of the bulk section. It was housed in this big wooden box and I slow-poured it into a plastic tub, mesmerized by its smell and texture. Molasses is not something that I’ve ever really incorporated into my diet, and before looking it up just now, I could only answer with half-certainty when asked what molasses is that it’s the by-product of making white sugar. I also knew that it was loaded with iron. Well, both of those things are true. While the calories in molasses are primarily sugar, it’s also a significant source of calcium, potassium, and magnesium.

Banana Walnut Bread with Molasses

Preheat oven to 350
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl:

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 tablespoons whole ground flax
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Mix wet ingredients in a blender, or well by hand:

1/4 cup soy milk
5 medium bananas
3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses

Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and mix with spatula while folding in 1 cup of chopped walnuts. Doesn’t need to be mixed well, but just enough to make everything wet.

Pour batter into a bread pan pre-oiled with some canola oil to prevent sticking/burning. Baking times will vary depending on depth of your pan. I used a standard 9″ x 5″ loaf pan and baked for 60 minutes uncovered. Sticking a toothpick or sharp knife into the center of the bread and extracting it to find it clean will reveal if your bread is cooked all the way through. Let it cool for awhile, maybe 30 minutes, then eat it while it’s still warm, or let it cool for awhile before putting it in the fridge, and eat it cold.

I think this is kind of a sophisticated take on banana bread. It’s sweet, but not overwhelmingly so. It’s whole wheat, which is great, and the bananas, while definitely playing a big role in its flavor, don’t steal the show. I was worried as it baked that the molasses would throw it all off, because the smell is strong, but that wasn’t the case at all. Good stuff!

Related:

• Wheat bread is not Whole Wheat
• Sunday Breakfast – Vegan Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes
• Raw Vegan Hot Wings?
• Sweetpea Baking Co.

Did you enjoy: Vegan Banana Walnut Bread with Molasses? Then subscribe to The Casual Vegan by Email or you should follow me on twitter here.

Leave A Comment // Subscribe (RSS Feed)

The Next Post: Black-Eyed Pea – Green Chard Soup
The Previous Post: Bike to Work Week