Banana Crunch Bread

Prep for the week ahead with the perfect loaf of banana bread. We added some of our favorite granola to the batter and on top for some added crunch. Our favorite granola company @thehamptongrocer has a special edition banana chocolate crunch flavor and it was the perfect complement to this delightful recipe! Any granola will work perfect!

Makes 1 standard loaf or 4 mini loaves

Ingredients:

2 cups regular or gluten free flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 1/4 cup sugar

½ cup vegetable or canola oil

2 Tbsp milk, buttermilk, or non-dairy milk

½ tsp vanilla

3 medium bananas, overly ripe is best

1 cup granola, slightly crushed

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a standard loaf pan (or 4 minis) with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

Mash bananas well in a bowl with the back of a fork or spoon. (This is a fun task for kids with clean hands!) This will ensure they incorporate evenly into batter. Next, combine flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together egg, sugar, and oil until well combined. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until just combined. The mixture will be thick and dry. Then add bananas, milk and vanilla to the mixture and stir until incorporated. Add half of crushed granola to batter and mix to incorporate.

Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan or divide evenly into minis. Sprinkle remaining granola over top of loaf. For regular loaf, bake 50-75 minutes until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. For minis, reduce time to 35-50 minutes. Remove bread from oven to a cooling rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.