Eggless Banana Bread

Our kids are intentionally leaving bananas to go overripe, just to have me make this banana bread.

With the egg allergy of our oldest son, we are somewhat limited in the sweet and dessert section. We have tried various egg alternatives and multiple vegan recipes, with mixed results and reactions. One that stood out was this Eggless Banana Bread from Tina over at The Worktop.

I came across it a year ago, and it’s so good that I have made it every 2 or 3 weeks ever since. We usually eat this 12-slice banana bread in 3 days and keep it stored wrapped in clingfilm.

It’s super easy to make and has the perfect light texture due to the mix of baking powder, baking soda, and vinegar. Furthermore, it is delicious, and you’ll never know this banana bread has no eggs. And it is one simple step away from making it entirely vegan if substituting the milk with almond or oat-based alternative.

One of the best things about this recipe is that the banana bread isn’t overly sweet compared to the ones available in coffee shops or in stores, which tend to be all about sugar and spice. I do adjust the actual amount of sugar each bake depending on the ripeness and sweetness of the bananas. The 100g / ½ cup of dark brown sugar mentioned below is a great starting point, though.

Over time, I did some tweaking on some of the quantities to better accommodate our preferences (a bit more bananas, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and baking powder). Furthermore, the suggested topping of 1 tablespoon each of quick-cooking oats and cane/turbinado sugar is something that I ditched quite early on. The first upon express instructions from my kids and the second as the resulting crispy sugar coating turns into syrup after one day, making it a rather sticky mess to eat. I therefore only use the sugar coating if we are sure that the loaf will only last one day.

The recipe (12 slices)

Ingredients

• 4 ripe bananas (medium), roughly mashed with a fork
• 125ml / ½ cup milk (use milk alternative for entirely vegan)
• 100g / ½ cup dark brown sugar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 55g / ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
• 210g / 1¾ cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 packet baking powder (15g / 2 tsp)
• 1 packet baking soda (7g/ 1 tsp)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• One pinch salt
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Instructions

Note: I always use my Kitchenaid stand mixer that comes with 4.8 litre / 5 quart and 2.8 litre / 3 quart mixing bowls. I use the small bowl for the dry ingredients and the large one for the wet ingredients and overall mixing. I put it on the lowest setting for everything, but you also can mix by hand, or use a hand mixer.

1. Preheat oven to 175°C / 350°F.
2. Line or lightly grease a loaf pan. (I use a 28x11cm Pyrex cake pan, which is about 11×4″).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
4. In a separate slightly larger bowl, mix the mashed bananas, milk, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. As you are mixing, slowly pour in the coconut oil.
5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix together until just combined and then pour in the vinegar and give it a final stir.
6. Immediately pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan (and sprinkle over the toppings, if using).
7. Bake the banana bread, rotating halfway through, for about 45-55 minutes. I first set the timer for 45 minutes and then insert a skewer into the center to see if it comes out clean. Most often, I will need to give it another 5 minutes in the oven.
8. When ready, remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan for about 5 minutes.
9. Then tip out the banana bread onto the rack to let it cool completely.