Maple banana bread has plenty of maple flavor and just the right amount of sweetness.  Maple and banana are the perfect combination!

This maple banana bread is made without using any refined sugar, just maple for both sweetness and flavor.  The maple complements the natural sweetness of the bananas and results in a ‘just sweet enough’ loaf that won’t spoil your dinner.

Feel free to make it either with whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose flour.  This recipe, in particular, is a good place to use whole wheat.  With the moisture from the bananas and maple, very few people can tell the difference.

Go ahead and increase or decrease the amount of maple to add more or less sweetness.  I’ve made this recipe with as little as ¼ cup and as much as ¾ cup successfully.  The good maple used to be called ‘grade B’ so Vermonters could keep it to themselves, but it’s now labeled ‘Grade A Dark Amber’ so that it sells better to tourists that thought ‘Grade B’ meant not as good.

Either way, the darker the syrup, the more maple flavor and the better it is for making maple flavored baked goods.  If you can only find light syrup, try adding a tiny splash of maple flavoring to make up for it.

Making banana bread with whole wheat flour isn’t about making it a health food.  Serious Eats has a good discussion of why whole wheat just makes better banana bread:

“Don’t mistake this for a diet-friendly move; whole-grain flour can absorb (and retain) more water than all-purpose, and that accomplishes three things. One, it allows the batter to accommodate more banana purée without turning to soup. Two, it creates a thicker batter, resulting in a more attractive peak. Three, it helps keep the loaf from drying out, improving its texture and shelf life.”

They also suggest using sour cream or greek yogurt in the batter, “because thicker batters peak more in the oven, for a loaf that’s nicely domed rather than flat.”  That results in a more attractive top of the loaf.  It’s a simple thing, but it also helps keep it moist and tasty, while making the bread more beautiful.

Yield: 1 loaf

Maple Banana Bread

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This 'just sweet enough' banana bread is made with maple syrup and whole wheat pastry flour, for a perfectly moist and flavorful loaf.

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Ingredients

• 3 medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/2 cups mashed)
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup maple preferably grade B
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour or all-purpose
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg fresh ground

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour a large loaf pan. Set aside.
2. Make sure the bananas are thoroughly mashed with a fork, and then beat with an electric mixer until completely smooth. Add eggs, oil, maple syrup, sour cream and vanilla. Whip until just fully incorporated.
3. Measure the flour and mix the baking soda, salt and cinnamon into the flour. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and mix until just combined. Do not overwork the batter.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the tops are domed and completely set. They should spring back when pressed lightly with a finger (not sink in and dent). You can also test with a toothpick, which should come out clean or with a few tiny cooked pieces of bread attached.
5. Allow the bread to cool for at least 15 minutes in the pan before turning it out onto a cooling rack. Cool completely before cutting, at least 1 hour. Maple banana bread will keep for a week on the counter or up to 6 months tightly wrapped in the freezer.

Tasty Breakfast Bread Recipes

Don’t forget to check out some of our other delicious bread recipes for snacking or your next breakfast!

• Pumpkin Almond Butter Muffins
• Cinnamon Raisin Bread
• Bread Machine Banana Bread