Banana Oat Bread

I felt adventurous in the kitchen this week! Maybe it was just spring fever, but I felt ambitious enough to try making my own bread recipe. As I looked around the kitchen for some inspiration I saw some ripe bananas on the counter that needed to be used and some oat flour that I had bought recently but still hadn’t put away. Something inside of me, probably the part that is desperately tired of cold weather, said, “you should try combining these two items,” and combine them I did!

  

This bread is a variation of the recipe from Milk Bread Part III. I learned a few lessons while baking this bread. Here is what they are:

1. Moist bread is good bread

When mixing in the flour, I started with only four cups because that is the quantity called for in the other recipe. The moisture from the bananas had made this dough extra sticky and wet, requiring a whole extra cup of flour. I was nervous with how moist the dough was after 5 cups of flour but dared not add any more. I threw caution to the wind and decided to let this play out.

After rising, baking, and cooling, I finally cut the bread open to find soft, moist, delicious bread! I couldn’t believe how tasty it was. As I bake more bread, I’m not going to be afraid of sticky wet dough, because it might turn out wonderfully.

2. Dark bread doesn’t necessarily mean burnt bread

As I pulled the bread out of the oven, disappointment washed over me because the top of the loaf was very dark. I was afraid it was all dried up, burnt, and inedible. I thought my whole afternoon had been wasted. I decided to cut the bread open anyway to take a look.

You cannot imagine my surprise when I cut it open and it wasn’t! The crust on this bread was thin, like in the previous milk bread. Maybe the bananas make the crust darker, I’m not sure, but this bread was delicious. I need to keep in mind that the bread’s color is only part of how the bread turned out.

3. Peanut butter makes everything better

I love, LOVE, the combination of peanut butter and banana. Since this was banana bread, the first thing I tried, of course, was smothering it with peanut butter. My taste buds were dancing! The great combo of bananas and peanut butter was only enhanced by the subtle nutty flavor of the oats. So remember, peanut butter makes everything better.

I was so excited for how tasty and flavorful this bread turned out. It makes me optimistic for my bread creations in the future.

Banana Oat Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup oat flour

5 cups all-purpose flour

1 package active dry yeast

1½ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup milk

1 large egg

1 cup mashed bananas

Directions

Mix oat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl, then set aside.

Place butter and milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave until butter is melted and mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes. Add in the egg and bananas then mix thoroughly. If mixture cools, warm it up a little in the microwave.

Add milk banana mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer and start mixing with the paddle attachment. Slowly add the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, mixing until all the flour is incorporated before adding the next ½ cup. Switch to the dough hook when the dough gums up the paddle.

When all the flour has been added, continue to mix dough in the stand mixer for about 2 more minutes, then remove the dough from the bowl and knead by hand for 1 minute.

Put the dough back in the mixer bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let it sit until double in size, about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and divide into six equal portions. Roll each portion into a long rope about 9 inches long. Braid the dough ropes and place into greased loaf pans. Cover with plastic wrap and allow rising for about 45 minutes.

Bake at 375° for 40 minutes. Remove from pans immediately and allow cooling before cutting.