Last weekend, I came across a recipe in the Guardian for a banana cake made with just the banana peels – an intriguing way to address food waste. I’ve made a *lot* of banana bread in my lifetime, and generally my strategy is to toss overripe bananas into the freezer whole, and then pull them out to thaw in a bowl when it’s time to bake. (If I’m in a hurry, I cover them with warm water to help them thaw more quickly.)

So I went all-in and made a loaf by tossing whole bananas, skin and all, into the food processor along with the sugar, egg and melted butter or oil to pulse into a smooth puree I then stirred into the dry ingredients. The result — a very tasty banana bread (you’d never know the whole banana went in) that likely got a fibre boost from the peel, with much less left over to toss into the compost bin.

All-in Banana Bread

AuthorJulie

Yields10 Servings

2 large or 3 medium overripe bananas, preferably organic, washed well, frozen and thawed

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup butter, melted, or vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp fine salt

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (or chopped chocolate)

demerara or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling (optional)

Thaw your bananas in a bowl—if you need to speed things up, cover them with warm water and they’ll thaw quickly.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F.

Cut the stem ends off the bananas and cut them into chunks—I like doing this with scissors directly over the bowl of the food processor, slicing them in. Put the brown sugar, butter or oil, egg and vanilla into the food processor as well and pulse until well blended and relatively smooth, scraping down the side of the bowl. Don’t worry there are some black flecks of skin in it.

Scrape into a bowl and add the flour, cinnamon (if you’re using it), baking soda and salt. Stir a few strokes, then add the walnuts or pecans and stir just until combined. Scrape into a parchment-lined or greased 4x8-inch loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with demerara or turbinado sugar, if you like.

Bake for about an hour, or until golden, domed and springy to the touch. Cool in the pan for about 20 minutes, then take it out and cool on a wire rack, if you have one.

Makes 1 loaf, and about 10 slices.

Categorybread, breakfast, snacks

Ingredients