Soft Spelt Banana Sandwich Bread: no eggs, no dairy
My recipe for soft-spelt banana bread is not banana bread that is like a cake. This spelt bread is super soft and fluffy bread perfect for sandwiches or toasting. Using fresh bananas for added sweetness and moisture. I have made this bread with all-white spelt flour, all-wholegrain spelt flour or a combination of both. They all taste great. In my video tutorial, I add 300g of white spelt flour and 150g of wholegrain spelt flour. Be creative and make your own combination or use what flour you have in the cupboard. I used soya milk as that's what I had but it would work using oat milk or regular milk.
I couldn't believe how light and fluffy this bread was. It kept rising in my loaf tin, it was amazing to see how well it turned out. I was surprised it doesn't even taste like bananas.
This banana bread is perfect toasted for breakfast and served with peanut butter, honey or jam, curries or cheese.
Inspired by King Arthur Baking recipe; however 'suemareep style' I tweaked it a little to suit my taste. I used white spelt flour and wholegrain spelt flour, olive oil, soya milk, and light syrup, my bananas were larger so I added two large bananas and added in less milk.
Takes = prep. 15 mins, total 2 hours and 45 mins
Bakes = 30 to 45 mins
Makes = 10 slices 21.5 cm x 14.5 cm (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf tin)
Ingredients
- Soya milk (or your choice) – 200ml (3/4 cup + 1.5 tbs)
- Dry yeast – 8g, 2.5 teaspoons
- Sweet light syrup, or honey or maple – 2 tablespoons (43g)
- Olive oil, vegetable or melted butter – 2 tablespoons (28g)
- White spelt flour (or use all white or all wholegrain) – 300g (about 2 cups)
- Wholegrain spelt flour – 100g (3/4 cup)
- Fine salt – 1 teaspoon (6g) salt
- Ripe Mashed bananas – 2 large/ 180g (just under 1 cup)
Method
1. Melt the butter then add milk and gently warm on the stovetop for a few minutes or in the microwave for 2 x 30-sec bursts. Rest until warm to the touch (finger test works for me). Then stir in yeast and sweet syrup of choice and let bubble for 5 to 10 minutes.
2. Whisk flour and salt to combine in a large bowl. Then once the yeast has bubbled, pour it into the flour mix, and g. Knead on the mixer on medium with a dough hook for 5 minutes or by hand for 8 minutes.
3. Remove once the dough is smooth. Place the dough ball into a greased bowl and cover it with plastic wrap and rest in a warm spot for 60 minutes, or until doubled in size. Prepare your baking tin I used a small loaf tin to get a tall bread 21.5 cm x 14.5 cm (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf tin) greased and lined with baking paper higher on the sides for easy removal of the bread once cooked. You could use a large tin but the bread will not be as tall.
4. Remove the risen dough and place it on a floured bench top. I always use rice flour now. Gently press some of the air out and fold over one side then the other, then the top and bottom until a loaf shape is formed. Place into the baking tin and cover with a little oiled plastic or a damp cloth and rest for another 45-60 minutes for the second rise. 15 minutes before this has finished rising preheat the oven to 200˚C/ 180˚C fan.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden. Check after 25 minutes and if the bread is browning too much place a tent of aluminium foil over the top. Remove and rest for an hour before slicing. Store the bread in a plastic bag at room temperature for several days; freeze for a few months.
Sue Maree P Baking Tips
- If your bananas weigh more then add less milk. In my video, my 2 large bananas weighed 180g so I only added in 200ml milk. If you have two small bananas weighing about 150g then add 230-250 ml instead.
- I have made this recipe using all-white spelt flour or all-wholegrain spelt flour and both were great. In my video, I decided to do a combination.
- Sweetener – feel free to leave it out or swap it out for white sugar if that's all you have. The bananas do make the bread sweet so depending on your taste and diet adjust it to suit your needs.