My friend Liz makes the best banana bread. It is moist, nutty with just the right amount of spices & banana flavor. Every Christmas a few lucky friends are gifted a loaf or two of her bread. Due to her acumen in this field of baking I am always a bit hesitant to make my own banana bread fearing the results will be disappointing.
Last week 4 very, very ripe bananas were either going to be tossed or turned into a loaf….I chose the latter. Not trying to copy Liz’s bread, but to try something different, I made this loaf without nuts and with the addition of peanut butter powder. Have you used this yet? We add a shake or two to our smoothies each morning. It has all the yummy peanut butter flavor without the calories.
Brown sugar, Greek yogurt & vanilla bean paste…all part of the batter….
….resulting in this lovely loaf of goodness using over ripe bananas that could have been tossed, but were saved for better things!
Speaking of “better things”….You may now be curious about the heading for this post…”I get the banana bread part, but what is the reference to this “Farm to Fork” dinner?”
Coming up very soon, October 27th to be exact, is a celebration dinner and fundraiser here in Nashville. The Cumberland River Compact’s 5th Annual “Farm to Fork” Dinner once again brings together local chefs, farmers, artists & musicians to celebrate the fall harvest and keeping our waters clean. This is a very important fundraiser for us all.
The job of the Cumberland River Compact is to work to create awareness of the need to keep the waters of our beloved Cumberland River and it’s tributaries clean and safe. This takes the time of many dedicated folks and money to keep the public aware. For more information on this fun and delicious night next Thursday, October 27th click here.
Just imagine trying to cook and run a kitchen without clean water? Imagine and be thankful.
Peanut Butter-Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- 4 to 5 very ripe bananas
- 1/2 cup peanut butter powder
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter, very soft
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup raw brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a regular size loaf pan.
- In a small bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment mash the bananas. I leave them a little bit chunky.
- Sprinkle in the peanut butter powder and mix.
- Add in the softened butter, egg, vanilla bean paste & sugar. Mix well.
- With mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, along with the yogurt, and mix just until blended.
- Scrape batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top of is a dark golden brown. Test with a cake tester to make sure the inside is baked. The tester should come out clean with just a few crumbs. Let loaf cool in pan on a wire rack before slicing.
This bread is yummy for a few days and is sublime toasted and smeared with butter.
Teresa Blackburn www.teresablackburnfoodstyling.com
It was delicious, toasted with some butter, yummy
Thanks sweet man. It was so good I am thinking of making some for this Sunday morning!
Could one sub real peanut butter for the powder, which I don’t think I could even find in our store.
Thanks!
Hi Chris and thanks for stopping by. I find this powder in most grocery stores now…our local Kroger stores, Publix, etc…Walmart. If you cannot easily find it then order online. I discovered it because I like the taste of peanut butter but not all the calories in my morning smoothies that creamy peanut butter adds. It comes plain and in chocolate and is really low calorie. I think real peanut butter might make this bread too runny and wet…maybe add finely chopped, in the food processor, real peanuts instead. If you try this let me know how it turns out. Again thanks.
Every baker’s repertoire should include a recipe for quick bread! Not only are they easy to make, they are so flexible. Not only can the additions reflect the season, they can be a great way to use up the last few bananas that seem to always get lost in the kitchen! While I have seen that peanut butter powder on the shelf at the supermarket, I have never considered baking with it. Thanks for sharing your lovely loaves and for the inspiration!
Alisa so lovely to hear from you. We are finally getting some cooler, fall weather here in Nashville and everyone is very happy and more cheerful now that Autumn has arrived.
I originally started using peanut butter powder in my daily morning protein smoothie as it is so low calorie. Just started trying it in other ways and it was the perfect addition to this bread. Happy Fall and thanks for your kind words.
Looks delicious. I have never seen the peanut butter powder (I live in Australia) but such a good idea to add the flavour without the fat. I am about to embark on a weekend baking extravaganza and a bana bread is on my list, as it is so great for lunchboxes. Thanks for sharing. margaret
Hello and thanks for stopping by Margaret. I usually find this powder in the health food area of supermarkets and is just everywhere I look these days. Have a terrific baking weekend. I love to do that as well!
I have never used peanut butter powder but I bet it was a yummy addition to the banana bread!
i’m getting hungry…..love this new way to go…one day i’ll have to share my family banana bread recipe with you…..i first had it prepared by my great-grandmother…..xox
Hi Barbara, I hope you guys are having the best time ever on your trip. Thinking of you and I’d love to try out the recipe. Love to Johan. xxox
Looks great..would want to try this someday
Thanks and its easy and yummy.