Banana-Raisin Whole Wheat Bread

We always seem to have ripe bananas laying around in the kitchen and what better way to use them than to make banana bread. We eat banana bread a lot in this household. It makes a quick and delicious on-the-go breakfast or lunch, as well as a great snack for those hunger pangs in-between meals. I always keep an eye out for a quick and simple banana bread recipe, and I came upon this recipe on a package of Gold Medal flour. So far, I have tried out five different banana bread recipes, and this definitely rates as one of the easiest I have ever made. It is also our favorite. The bread is so moist that you would never guess it uses only whole wheat flour. It is substantial but not dense and heavy, with just the right amount of sweetness.

2½ cups Gold Medal whole wheat flour
1½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
1¼ cups packed brown sugar
1 cup raisins
⅔ cup plain nonfat yogurt
½ cup fat-free cholesterol-free egg product or 2 eggs
⅓ cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 350˚F. Grease bottoms only of two 8×4–inch loaf pans or one 9×5-inch loaf pan.
2. Stir together all ingredients until blended. Pour into pans.
3. Bake 8-inch loaves 50 to 60 minutes, 9-inch loaf 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days. 24 slices per loaf.

High Altitude (3500-6500 ft): Heat oven to 375˚F. Use two 8” loaf pans. Bake 55-60 minutes.

Source: © 2005 General Mills

Personal note: I always half the amount of salt. In addition, I would add ½ to 1 cup of chopped walnuts to the recipe, and the bread would still turn out beautifully. Dried cranberries or golden raisins or a combination of both make great substitutes for the dark raisins. I’ve also tried making this bread with buttermilk or sour cream instead of yogurt and it still turned out great! I’ve found that baking the bread on the lowest rack results in a too-dark exterior (looks almost burned)…I keep the rack in the middle.