Chunky monkey banana bread

When it comes to baking, it's a case of the simpler the better for me, as I'm no pastry chef – and this recipe uses my favourite, super-easy, wet-ingredients-into-dry method.

There are some swaps you could try here – perhaps using your favourite nuts, or a mixture of plain and spelt flour instead of all spelt. I haven't tested this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I see no reason why it wouldn't work well.

This bread is best eaten as close to the day of baking as possible – if not fresh out the oven. But it's also amazing toasted and topped with a big dollop of yogurt or coconut whip, extra pecans, and a drizzle of maple syrup.

PREP TIME:
10 minutes

COOK TIME:
45-1 hour

SERVES:
10-12 slices

Ingredients
Instructions

Ingredients

Wet ingredients

4 ripe bananas

¼ cup oat or almond milk

¼ cup light oil, such as groundnut

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

Dry ingredients

1½ cups spelt flour

½ cup soft brown or coconut sugar

½ cup ground almonds, or extra flour

1 tsp baking powder

Pinch of salt

Optional extras

½ cup roughly chopped dark chocolate, or chocolate chips

½ cup roughly chopped pecans

½-1 banana, thinly sliced

1 tbsp soft brown sugar

To serve (optional)

Plant-based yogurt

Chopped nuts

Maple syrup

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/Gas 4. Grease and line a loaf tin with greaseproof paper – if you're using one made of silicone, it doesn't need to be lined.
Mash the bananas in a bowl, then add the remaining wet ingredients and stir to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to a separate large bowl, and stir to combine. At this point, add in the optional chocolate chunks and chopped nuts, if using, setting aside a spoonful of each.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until just combined. Make sure you don‘t overwork the mixture.
Empty the batter into your prepared tin, and top with the remaining nuts and chocolate, sliced banana, and brown sugar, if using.
Bake for about 40-45 mins, then check your bread with a skewer. If it comes out a little sticky but the top is well cooked and the bananas are caramelised, cover the tin with foil and cook for a further 15 mins.
Test with a skewer again, and when the bread is cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to cool a little before removing from the tin.
Serve warm on its own, or with dollops of yogurt, extra nuts, and a drizzle of maple syrup.