I’m getting to the point today. This bread is downright sensational. My goodness, I’m in love with it! I baked two loaves this weekend, and now sincerely hold the believe that it’s a little bit magical.

Honey Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread. Doesn’t the name just scream ‘devour me’? The flavor combination is unique: a perfectly moist interior with a touch of sweetness from the honey with the bits of chocolate. Trust me, it cannot be matched.

Most of my banana bread recipes are healthy, use minimal sugar, no butter/oil, and focus on substitutes. I wanted this bread to fall under that category as well; however, I had never experimented with whole wheat flour in banana bread, nor unrefined sweeteners so I figured I would try something new.

The result? A gorgeous, perfectly moist bread with a golden brown crust! And not to mention, it’s now my new go-to banana bread. I just can’t get enough of this gem.

Before baking the bread, I knew that I had to figure out how the different ingredients would affect the density and texture, particularly because I was using whole wheat pastry flour and honey.

What’s whole wheat pastry flour? Whole wheat pastry flour is soft white whole wheat flour that is finely ground. It’s a low-protein flour, which helps to produce soft baked goods similar to cake flour. I like baking with it because you still get the nutritional value since it’s made with whole grains, but it also will give you perfectly textured baked goods. If you don’t have whole wheat pastry flour on hand, you can sub 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 all-purpose in the recipe to produce somewhat similar results. My favorite whole wheat pastry flour is Bob’s Red Mill Organic Whole Wheat Pastry Flour.

Tips on baking with honey: Honey has more fructose and a higher water content compared to regular sugar, which means that it’s naturally sweeter. Thus I decided I would only use 1/3 of a cup of honey in my recipe. Additionally foods made with honey will also brown quicker so instead of baking my bread at the regular temperature of 350 degrees, I chose to bake it at 325 degrees to avoid burning the crust. It’s important to note that in this recipe, the top of the bread will be very golden brown and form a crust, but it gives great flavor to the banana bread.

Another great perk? This bread is uber healthy and great for freezing for those mornings when you’re on the go. To keep the bread moist and to save calories I used nonfat plain greek yogurt (plain greek isn’t loaded with additional sugar or carbs). I’ve posted the nutritional information in the recipe below.

I love serving the bread slightly warm and spread with almond butter. Every time I bite into a slice, I’m overwhelmed by the delicious banana flavor with melted bits of chocolate chips. Sometimes if I’m feeling craving a sweet snack, I toast my bread and heap on that lovable Nutella.

However it’s done, KIDS simply adore this bread and I’m sure you will too!

Honey Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

50 mins

Total time

1 hour

 

Banana bread made with whole wheat pastry flour and chocolate chips. Delicious, good-for-you, and easy to make!

Author: Monique of AmbitiousKitchen.com

Recipe type: Bread, Snack, Breakfast, Healthy

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 heaping cup mashed ripe banana (about 2-3 bananas)
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 1/2 tablespoons unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 1 egg
• 1 egg white
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 8×4 or 9×5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder,baking soda, and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine mashed banana, honey, greek yogurt, olive oil, almond milk and vanilla and beat on low until smooth in consistency. Add in the egg and egg white and beat again until well combined, about 1 minute. Add the banana mixture to the flour mixture and combine until moist — It’s important to not over mix! Next gently fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
4. Spoon all of the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-60 minutes or until a tester inserted into middle of the bread comes out clean. The length of time will vary based on which loaf pan you use, so I suggest checking the bread at 45 minutes. Also, don’t fear the golden crust! The bread may look done on the outside, but the inside is what’s important — you don’t want a gooey bread.
5. Once a tester inserted into the bread comes out clean, cool for 10 minutes in pan on wire rack, then remove from pan gently and cool completely on wire rack. Cut into 12 slices and enjoy!

Notes

If you’d like to freeze your bread, simply wait until bread is completely cool, then slice and individually wrap in cling wrap and place in the freezer. Once ready to eat, just toast or microwave your slice and spread with your favorite topping.

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 slice Calories: 168 Fat: 4.6g Carbohydrates: 27.6g Sugar: 14.4g Fiber: 2.2g Protein: 3.9g

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