Banana and Oat Loaf for the Lunchbox
Banana bread is the easiest bake there is, and its secret is that the bananas must be black and covered in spots — firm yellow bananas have neither the flavour nor the sweetness. This version cuts the sugar because ripe bananas sweeten it themselves.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 50 min
- Total
- 65 min
- Calories
- 240
Banana loaf is ideal for a lunchbox: it slices, it freezes, and it stays soft for days. It is also the best possible use for the bananas that went past their best on the counter instead of throwing them away.
Method
-
1
Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 175°C and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper. The paper makes it easy to lift out and slice.
⏱ 5 min -
2
Mash the bananas
Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl until almost smooth — leave some small lumps, which give a better texture and show in the finished loaf.
⏱ 4 min -
3
Wet ingredients
Add the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla to the mashed banana and whisk by hand until the mixture is completely uniform.
⏱ 3 min -
4
Dry ingredients
Mix the flour, oats, bicarbonate, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl, then tip them into the wet mixture.
⏱ 3 min -
5
Fold
Stir only until the flour disappears and do not beat at all. Beating develops gluten and gives a dense, rubbery loaf instead of a soft one.
⏱ 2 min -
6
Bake
Pour into the tin and bake for forty-five to fifty-five minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs rather than completely clean — that is the right doneness.
⏱ 50 min -
7
Cool and slice
Let it cool completely before slicing — warm loaf crumbles. Slice it and wrap each slice individually for the freezer.
⏱ 60 min
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Tips that actually matter
- The bananas must be black and spotted. Firm yellow bananas give a bland loaf.
- Fold only until the flour disappears — any beating gives a heavy loaf.
- Individually wrapped slices freeze for two months and thaw on their own by break time.
- If your bananas are not ripe enough, bake them in their skins at 150°C for fifteen minutes.
People also ask
Why do the bananas need to be black?
In very ripe bananas the starch has converted to sugar, so they sweeten the loaf themselves and give a much stronger flavour.
Can I leave out the sweetener entirely?
If the bananas are very ripe and you add raisins, you can halve the honey. With no sweetener at all it tastes rather flat.
Why is my loaf dense?
You beat the batter after adding the flour. Fold only until the flour disappears, even if the batter does not look smooth.
How long does it stay soft?
Three days in an airtight tin, and two months in the freezer sliced and individually wrapped.
Cook mode
Banana and Oat Loaf for the Lunchbox
-
1
Prepare the tin
Heat the oven to 175°C and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper. The paper makes it easy to lift out and slice.
-
2
Mash the bananas
Mash the bananas with a fork in a large bowl until almost smooth — leave some small lumps, which give a better texture and show in the finished loaf.
-
3
Wet ingredients
Add the eggs, oil, honey and vanilla to the mashed banana and whisk by hand until the mixture is completely uniform.
-
4
Dry ingredients
Mix the flour, oats, bicarbonate, cinnamon and salt in a separate bowl, then tip them into the wet mixture.
-
5
Fold
Stir only until the flour disappears and do not beat at all. Beating develops gluten and gives a dense, rubbery loaf instead of a soft one.
-
6
Bake
Pour into the tin and bake for forty-five to fifty-five minutes. A skewer should come out with moist crumbs rather than completely clean — that is the right doneness.
-
7
Cool and slice
Let it cool completely before slicing — warm loaf crumbles. Slice it and wrap each slice individually for the freezer.
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