Whole Wheat Tahini Banana Bread

I always seem to have at least one extremely brown banana on the counter at all times.

And I find myself googling “what to do with ripe bananas” at least once a week. Anyone else? I can’t be alone in this.

Sure, you can freeze them and save them for a rainy day. But if you are anything like me, and you must be if you are still reading, you will forget you froze those bananas and they inevitably get buried underneath pints of ice cream. Still with me. Good.

While I love plain ‘ol banana bread (in fact we have a great recipe right here), sometimes you want something a little different. And sometimes you have half a jar of tahini leftover from making brownies. Light bulb moment. Banana bread + tahini = a very different and delicious take on the usual quick snack bread.

You all must also have some leftover tahini after making our brownies, right? And if you don’t, I encourage you to drop what you are doing, run to the grocery store, purchase a jar of that tahini, and make both these recipes ASAP. Because it is time to start thinking of back to school snacks, and both of these nut free baked goods fit the bill.

But this post isn’t about brownies, it’s about banana bread. So let’s talk banana bread.

You know sometimes you eat a loaf of whole wheat banana bread and think it kinda tastes like whole wheat banana bread? This is one of those cases where the whole wheat flour adds a really nice flavour dimension. The richness from the tahini and wholesomeness from the ground flax compliment that whole wheat flavour nicely. So you can feel good that you are getting an extra dose of fibre while still actually enjoying your snack bread.

I think it’s pretty darn good straight up, but we also enjoyed it as french toast one Sunday morning. Moral of the story – you’ll want to double this recipe to ensure you too have leftovers for Sunday brunch. And remember that ice cream in the freezer? Toast a slice of this bread, top with ice cream, and call me to say thank you.

Dara

Whole Wheat Tahini Banana Bread

Print recipe

Serves	1 loaf
Meal type	Dessert, Snack
Misc	Freezable
Website	Adapted from Ambitious Kitchen

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas (mashed)
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/3 cup tahini
• 1 egg
• 1 Tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup milk (any kind you have on hand)
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
• 1 Tsp baking soda
• 1 Tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 Tsp salt
• banana and sesame seeds (for topping)

Note

This banana bread is delicious as is or toasted topped with some additional tahini or peanut butter. Leftover freeze really well - wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and store in a large zip lock bag. Reheat in the microwave or toaster when ready to eat.

Directions

1.	Preheat oven to 350 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper and spray with cooking spray.
2.	In a large bowl combine mashed banana, tahini, egg, vanilla, milk, and honey. In a medium bowl combine flours, ground flaxseed, sesame seeds, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir to combine.
3.	Pour banana bread mixture into loaf pan, smoothing out the top. Slice a banana and place slices down the centre of the loaf, overlapping slightly. Sprinkle with some additional sesame seeds if desired and bake for about 60 minutes, until cooked through and brown.
4.	Remove from oven and let cool in pan for at least 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let cool completely.