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Kernza® Banana Bread

Kernza® Banana Bread

One standard loaf

Timing

Prep: 20 min. 

Cook Time: 1hr. 10 min. 

Total: 1 hr. 30 min. 

Equipment

  • 1 Standard Loaf Pan- Close to 8.5” x 4.5” x 2.75” dimensions 
  • Mixing Bowls
  • Small Sauce Pot
  • Fork or Potato Masher
  • Rubber Spatula
  • Whisk
  • Parchment Paper
  • Pam (optional)

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups (200g, 7.0oz.) Kernza Flour
  • 4 overripe bananas (roughly 435g, 15.3oz.)
    • They should be very spotty with possibly some bruises. 
  • ½ Cup (110g, 3.9oz) brown sugar (optional, for added sweetness)
  • ⅓ Cup (80g, 2.8oz) plain yogurt
    • We used 2% Milkfat, Fage brand yogurt
  • ½ Stick (56.5g, 2.0oz, 4 Tbsp.) unsalted butter
  • 1 Egg (roughly 50g, 1.75oz.)
  • 2 Tsp (11g, 0.4oz.) coarse salt
  • 1 Tsp (5.5g, 0.2oz.) baking soda
  • ½ Tsp (3g, 0.1oz.) vanilla extract

As it turns out, Kernza and banana bread are meant to be. Every stand out quality of Kernza flour is showcased perfectly here, and the recipe itself is so easy: No “creaming” butter and sugar in a cumbersome stand-mixer, no worrying about whether or not the butter is the right temperature, no unconventional or hard-to-find ingredients. Just mix, pour, and bake.

Method

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
  2. Melt ½ stick of butter on stove top or in the microwave
  3. In a small bowl, add peeled bananas and “smash” with a fork or potato masher
    1. Once they turn “gloopy” and have developed a sheen, you’re done.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk melted butter and brown sugar together
  5. Add one egg to sugar/butter and whisk until fully combined
  6. Add yogurt, vanilla extract, and the smashed bananas to the sugar and lightly whisk until everything is well incorporated
  7. In another bowl, add Kernza, salt, and baking soda, and whisk to combine
  8. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and gently stir together with a rubber spatula until no more dry flour can be seen.
  9. Prepare your loaf pan: 

    1. Grease the inside with butter, oil, or Pam.
    2. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit inside and cover the three long sides of the pan and extend above the top of the pan (this provides parchment “handles” that will allow you to remove the baked loaf from the pan easily).
    3. Spray again with Pam, or add another coating of oil/butter
    4. If you do not want to use parchment, sprinkle a light coat of all purpose flour over the entire inside of the pan after it has been greased.
  10. Add batter to the pan, smooth out the top, and make an indent lengthwise in the batter with the edge of your spatula 

  11. Place the pan in the oven on the middle rack and bake for one hour and ten minutes, rotating half way through.
  12. When finished baking, allow the banana bread to rest in the pan until you can comfortably hold it in the palm of your hand (about 45 minutes) 

  13. Enjoy plain or with a generous smear of butter and salt. 

5 comments

Aug 15, 2023 • Posted by Patty

This is the best banana bread that I have ever tasted. It was quick and easy to make. I was doubtful that the brown sugar could be optional, but I am going to leave it out of my next loaf.

Dec 09, 2022 • Posted by Joan

This makes a lovely moist loaf of banana bread. I made it for my Conservation Biology class so they could taste a perennial grain! We also covered perennial rice in the class. I agree with other comments that making the recipe clearer would help— use black on white text, for teaspoon use tsp (not Tsp), take out separate bullets for comments — only put in bullets when it is a new ingredient and definitely cut the salt to 1tsp or less!! It will keep us all healthier. And with 2tsp, you could taste the salt.

Mar 10, 2022 • Posted by Lila Salls

I do not bake often, so I probably did something wrong, but my bread was exceedingly moist. I put it back in the oven for at least 15 more minutes, but it didn’t help. I wonder if I used the right amount of baking soda. I thought at first the “Tsp” was a tablespoon, because I am used to the capitol
T being used for the tablespoon and the lower case t used a teaspoon. In the end I only used a teaspoon, because that seemed to make sense. I notice that the other recipe for banana bread on your site also includes baking powder as an ingredient. Would that help? Oh, I just figured it out! The white print on the ingredient list on the blue background are hard to read even though I am using a large iPad. I was reading the recipe in the evening.Right now I am in our dining room with beautiful sunshine streaming through the window as I write to you. I see that I used a whole stick of butter instead of a 1/2 stick! No wonder it was too moist.

Feb 24, 2022 • Posted by Bill

When printed, this recipe is not really useable. The lighter fonts are not visible. Your web person should darken them up in the print css.

May 02, 2021 • Posted by Jill

This banana bread is moist and flavorful. It was a little salty for my taste so I will reduce the salt to 1 t. You can also make this bread into muffins. Recipes makes about 12, reduce baking time to 15-20 minutes.

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