Banana Bread with Walnuts and Coconut Flakes
Easy homemade banana bread that's moist and fluffy with a delicious twist! A classic with hints of honey, crispy coconut flakes and walnuts.
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Servings: 8 people
Calories: 382kcal
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts roughly chopped, substitute: pecan
- ¼ cup coconut flakes
Dry ingredients
- 1½ cup plain flour
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon baking soda substitute: 3 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon powder
Wet ingredients
- 3 large super ripe bananas ~500-550g/1-1.2 pounds with skin on
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla essence or vanilla extract
- ¼ cup milk (note 1) for substitute
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (note 1) for substitute
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
Prepare the wet ingredients
- Make the buttermilk: in a small cup, combine milk with lemon juice. Swirl the cup for 5 seconds then set aside. It'll curdle almost instantly.
- In a large mixing bowl, peel then mash bananas with a fork until smooth (small lumps will be inevitable).
- Combine all wet ingredients into the mixing bowl with mashed bananas, including the buttermilk. Mix well with a fork until well combined.
Prepare the dry ingredients
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
Combine then bake
- Pour mixed dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon until the batter is smooth.
- Fold in ½ of walnuts into the batter. Pour batter into a lightly greased loaf tin.
- Top the batter with coconut flakes and remaining walnuts. Gently press the flakes and walnuts into the batter to secure their positions.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when pierced (note 2). Rest the banana bread for 10 minutes in the tin once it's out of the oven before turning it out onto a cooling rack to completely cool. Thickly slice then serve.
- Best serve toasted then spread with salted butter!
Notes
1. Substitutes for milk + lemon juice - ¼ cup of plain Greek yoghurt or ¼ cup of store-bought buttermilk.
2. Use a thin wooden skewer to check for doneness - depending on your oven, cooking time may vary. If the skewer comes out clean (when pierced in the centre of the bread) that means it's cooked. If not, pop the bread back in the oven and check every 5 minutes after the suggested cooking time of 45 minutes.
Slice banana breads when it's cold - this will guarantee a clean, perfect slice. I've been there, got too eager and sliced the bread when it was still quite warm. It got messy real quick - the bread will fall apart!
Slice with a serrated bread knife - this is particularly handy when the banana bread is still hard/crunchy on the outside (ie, less than a day old). Once it's been in the fridge overnight, the outer layer will soften and any kitchen knife will work well.
To speed up the ripening process of bananas - store in a paper bag and close loosely, or just wait a few more days. Either way, keep them away from the fridge. If you have an apple or a ripe banana, put it together with the bananas and that'll also help.
Storage - store in airtight containers for up to 7 days in the fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Freezing tip - thickely slice then put the whole loaf into an airtight container or freezer-friendly bag with each slice separated by a piece of baking paper (aka parchment paper). This way it'll be nice and easy to take a slice or two out whenever cravings casually strike!
Tried this recipe?Mention @Casuallypeckish or tag #casuallypeckish!
Nutrition
Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 51.7g | Protein: 5.9g | Fat: 17.9g | Saturated Fat: 9.6g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 270mg | Fiber: 2.6g | Sugar: 28.1g | Calcium: 35mg | Iron: 2mg