Sprouted Wheat & Honey Banana Bread

This version of banana bread is not your typical fluffy and light banana bread that you would serve at a brunch. Because of the sprouted whole wheat flour instead of the all-purpose flour and the honey instead of the sugar, it creates a more dense brownie-like sweet bread that is both sweet and moist and delicious. Pasture-raised eggs and grass-fed, cream top milk are used as well and with all of those hearty ingredients, it transitions this bread from a sweet breakfast treat into a nourishing, nutrient packed and hearty breakfast. My kids love this version of banana bread and don’t mind the slight change in texture, consistency or flavor, and I feel a little better about serving it to them before school. Just a note though, it doesn’t rise as much as a typical sweet bread, but it still tastes good! I hope you enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1/2 – 3/4 cup raw, local honey (or any honey you like), my kids like 3/4 cup, but I would have been fine with 1/2 cup honey so either will work fine here
• 1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened or melted in microwave if you are short on time
• 3 cups sprouted hard red wheat flour (our preference) or whole wheat einkorn
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoon course Celtic sea salt or 3/4 teaspoon Redmond’s real salt (Add a little at a time and adjust to taste after batter is all mixed. My sea salt is really course so usually cutting the salt amount by half for a fine sea salt works well).
• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup buttermilk or 1/2 cup whole milk and 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice (see note below)
• 1 quart or 6-8 mashed bananas (using 8 bananas really helps make this sweet without as much added honey)
• optional: 1/2 cup dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Generously butter 2 loaf pans.

If using milk and lemon juice to make buttermilk, pour 1/2 cup milk into a glass measuring cup. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice and mix. Let sit 5 minutes, while mixing the other ingredients.

Mix melted or really soft butter and honey together with a mixer or by hand until really well combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside.

Mix in eggs one at a time to the butter/honey mixture. Add vanilla, buttermilk (or milk/lemon juice mixture) and already mashed bananas.

Add half of the flour mixture to the stand mixer or large bowl until well incorporated. Add the remaining half and mix well.

Divide batter between two pans.

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until inserted toothpick comes out clean. Start checking this at 45 minutes.

Let cool and then serve plain or with butter.

**The last time I made this, I put all of my wet ingredients in a large bowl one at time and mixed it well after adding each ingredient, and then I added my dry ingredients one a time and mixed it well after adding each ingredient. It turned out fine… I’m sure that is a no-no, but it was a time saver and I don’t know that it would changed the consistency of the bread much had I done it the right way.