Nutritious Banana Bread Loaf with Dates

This rustic and wholesome banana bread loaf has quickly become a favourite recipe to date (geddit? ba-dum-tss). 

It’s sweetened with fruit alone, just overripe bananas and big juicy flecks of dates scattered throughout the batter. There’s no extra maple syrup, honey, or granulated sugars added. I promise, the fruit, along with cinnamon and vanilla, leaves it sweet enough.

Using Fruit in Baking

As a nutritionist, I’m often asked for nutritious breakfast recipes and wholesome dessert recipes lower in added sugar (while satisfying a raging sweet tooth!). One approach is to celebrate the natural sweetness in fruit, which this recipe does. Here, make sure to:

• Opt for really ripe bananas. Look for bananas that are yellow and streaked, with brown or black freckles. Absolutely no green! These will provide sweetness and a luscious deep banana flavour. An unripe green banana is up to 80% starch. As they ripen starches convert to sugars, until they end up being less than 1% starch by the time fully ripe (1).
• Try a homemade date puree. Cooking dates into a puree will infuse a caramel-sweetness into the batter, while encouraging a moist and tender texture. Scattered chopped chucks provide a flavour burst, but not the even layer of sweetness we’re after.

Kitchen Tips

Here are tips and tricks I’ve found help the baking flow and final outcome when making this recipe:

• Cool your cooked date puree in the fridge or freezer. This speed things up while you prepare other ingredients. Otherwise, brew yourself a tea, or water the plants, or put away the washing and wait for it to reach room temperature!
• Swift dry ingredients. Sifting promotes consistency in the batter by breaking up larger lumps. So easy to say ‘meh!’ and skip – but please don’t friends!
• Gently fold. Folding is where you combine ingredients together without stirring, beating or agitating the mix. Instead, the lighter delicate mixture is placed on top of the heavier thicker one, again and again, until combined. Air becomes trapped into bubbles, helping it rise. Use a wide flexi spatula here. 
• Don’t overmix! This can lead to a denser loaf – boo! Mix ingredients until the batter is just evenly incorporated.
• Size matters. My loaf tin was 25cm long x 12 cm wide. A different sized or shaped tin may mean you need to adjust baking time. Test done-ness with a fork or toothpick – if it comes out clean you’re good!
• Cover with foil. If you notice the top of your loaf starting to over-brown in the last ten minutes or so of baking, use foil to your aid by loosely covering.
• Mix-ins? Make this loaf your own. It’d be ace with a handful of chocolate chips, raisins or walnuts tossed through the batter before baking!

Serving Suggestions

• This banana date loaf is the perfect breakfast or snack slathered with nut butter, ricotta & honey or classic beloved butter. Kick back with a cup of tea and enjoy!
• Serve warm as a wholesome dessert along with a dollop of ice cream. 
• Not feeling it anymore? Repurpose into a delectable bread and butter pudding! You’ll find oodles of inspiration online for recipes.

Thanks for reading! If you give this recipe a go, I hope you love it. It’s a favourite and took many loving attempts to get right. Are you a mega-fan of bananas, like me? Be sure to try this creamy banana porridge or these banana oat cookies next time you have spotty bananas in the fruit bowl!🍌