Blueberry Banana Breakfast Bread

I love banana bread but wanted to put a twist on it.  I try to incorporate wheat flour when I can and that was my goal in creating this loaf.  I don't like that wheat flour because it makes everything so dense and heavy so I used oatmeal to lighten it up without adding white flour.

I figured I'd have to experiment with a few loaves to get it right, but this one was good right off the bat!

Blueberry Banana Breakfast Bread
1 loaf

Ingredients:

1 1/4 c sugar

1/2 c butter, softened

2 eggs

3 bananas, soft

1/2 c milk

1 t vanilla

1 1/2 c whole wheat flour

1 c old fashioned oats

1 1/4 t baking soda

1 t salt

1/2 c blueberries (I used frozen)

1 c walnuts, chopped

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease the bottom on one 9x5" loaf pan.

Stir  sugar and butter in a large bowl until well mixed.  Stir in eggs, bananas, milk, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.  

Stir in flour, oatmeal, baking soda, salt just until combined.  Add blueberries and nuts and stir until combined.

Pour batter into pan.

Bake for 60-75 minutes in the center of the oven.  When bread is finished cooking (toothpick test) move to a cooling rack and let rest in pan for 15 minutes.

Remove from pan and let cool for 2 hours before slicing.  

Bread should be stored in plastic wrap.  It can be frozen for later use.

Wheat Italian Bread (4P+)

This recipe requires a lot of rest time so don't attempt it on a busy day.  I suggest making two small loaves (freeze one until you need it) but you could make one large loaf.

To begin, add the following ingredients to your bread machine.  

1²/₃ c Water

1¹/₂ c All Purpose Flour

1 c Whole Wheat Flour

¹/₄ t Bread Machine Yeast

Set your machine for the DOUGH cycle but only allow it to run for 10 minutes.  Turn off the machine and let the starter sit for 4 hours then add:

1¼ c All Purpose Flour

1¼ T Sugar

1 T Vital Wheat Gluten

2 t Salt

2 ½ t Bread Machine Yeast

Run this through the DOUGH cycle of the bread machine.

When the cycle has completed (approximately 90 minutes) turn the dough out onto a clean surface.  Cut dough in half and form into two long, thin loaves.  Place loaves on a baking pan covered in parchment paper and dusted with cornmeal.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for 60 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425°.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly browned.  Cool on a wire rack for 20 minutes before cutting.  Cut each loaf into 15 slices.

Serving Size: 3 slices  

Total Servings: 10 (5 per loaf)