A Healthier Christmas Dessert – Homemade Moist ‘Nana’ Bread

The weather has evidently turned in the recent weeks and though it isn’t quite Christmas yet, the imaginary scent of fresh fir and warm notes of amber, vanilla, ginger and frankincense seem to waft from the back of my mind to the tip of my nose.

 Ah… Christmas… What is there not to like about the season of gifting?

 Although being right smacked on the equator means we don’t get to enjoy the change in seasons (no winter boots or nice big fluffy coats to wear and strut our stuff in) and the constant heavy downpour means more money spent on cab rides and clothes not drying fast enough, I still enjoy this last 2 months of rainy season on our sunny island of Singapore. Why? Because this means holiday mood is ON and there will be lots of lunch and dinner parties to go to and that means…lots of eating!!! And lots of eating of GOOD FOOD…

In our quest for healthier living and the unwillingness to give up on the goodness of life (in terms of our taste buds), we decided to try making a traditional all-time favourite - homemade banana bread; the perfect warm dessert to any Christmas meal with a little twist (using spelt flour instead of whole wheat or white flour).

What is spelt flour and why?

Closely related to the wheat family, spelt is one of the oldest cultivated crops and was, once upon a time, a dominant staple in the European diet.

Although it contains gluten, it is generally seen as, to be more tolerable for the gut. It also contains higher amounts of copper, iron, zinc, magnesium and phosphorus, resulting in a myriad of health benefits when consumed, hence making a comeback to our modern diet. 

Homemade Moist 'Nana' Bread

(Recipe inspired by cookieandkate.com)

Prep time: 10 mins 

Cook time: 55 mins

Total time: 1 hour 5 mins 

Serves: 1 loaf

 Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• ½ cup melted coconut oil (or olive oil)

• ⅓ cup honey

• ¼ cup almond or hazelnut milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2-3 medium bananas)

• 1¾ cups spelt flour

• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ cup dark chocolate chips (or chopped walnuts, raisins), optional

Instructions

1. Pre-heat oven to 165C (325F). Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan and set aside. 

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together. Set aside. 

3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, honey, milk and vanilla. Whisk for 2 minutes.

4. Stir in the bananas, flour mixture and chocolate chips, or any other add ons of choice. 

5. Pour batter into greased pan (Optional: sprinkle in more cinnamon, chocolate chips or banana slices).

6. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a toothpick (or in my case satay stick) inserted comes out clean. Let sit in loaf pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool for another 20.

7. Slice and enjoy! 

• For a slightly sinful option, top the slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy! J

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