Banana Date Bread

Whenever it’s cold outside it’s a good time to turn on the oven and do some baking. This banana bread recipe is a good way to use up some over ripe bananas. If you have over ripe bananas and no time to use them up, you can pop them into the freezer, peel and all, to be used later for loafs and muffins. This is a well tested recipe that makes great banana loafs every time. This recipe is high in fiber, and is mostly sweetened naturally with dates and bananas. Dates, oat bran and bananas are full of beneficial fiber for our digestive system. Dates are a good source of copper, potassium and magnesium. Even though dates are sweet, they have a low glycemic index, meaning that they are not likely to spike blood sugar.

Bananas are high in pectin fiber and aid in movement through the digestive system. Bananas are a good source of vitamin B6, vitamin C and potassium. A four-year research study has shown that the high potassium content found in foods such as bananas help reduce blood pressure and the risk of stroke. As bananas age, they become brown on the outside, but the inside increases with anti-oxidants. Over ripe bananas are easier to digest and their additional sweetness means that sugar can be reduced in baking recipes. This loaf is high fibre, with each of the 10 slices having 3.5 grams of fiber.

Banana Date Bread

1 cup dates

1 cup water

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup oat bran

1 cups flour, unbleached

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

4 ripe or overripe bananas, mashed

Butter a loaf pan. In a small pot cook the dates in the water until the dates are soft, about 5 - 10 minutes. Blend this mixture into a puree. I use a bullet blender. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mash the bananas, stir in the eggs, butter, brown sugar, salt and date pure. Stir in the oat bran. Add the flour, and sprinkle on top the baking powder and baking soda, and stir it in until combines. Pour into a buttered loaf pan. Cook for 60 minutes, or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve warm and buttered, or cool and slice to serve plain or with jam, nut butters and various cheeses.