# 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.

**American Cuisine · 65 min · 8 servings · 240 kcal per serving**

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.

## Ingredients


### Wet ingredients
- 3 — Very ripe bananas (blackened)
- 2 — Eggs
- 0.33 — Oil or melted butter
- 0.33 — Black treacle or honey
- 1 — Vanilla

### Dry ingredients
- 1.5 — Flour
- 0.5 — Oats
- 1 — Bicarbonate of soda
- 1 — Cinnamon
- 0.25 — Salt

### Add-ins
- 0.5 — Walnuts or raisins (optional)

## 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.
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.

## Tips

- 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.

## FAQ

### 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.

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Source: https://hanakoleah.com/en/american-cuisine/banana-oat-loaf
Edited by: Marwa Mohamed
Last updated: 2026-10-30