Banana Bread

Hey lovely people out there - I hope you're all doing mighty fine with some gorgeous spring weather in the northern hemisphere or a golden autumn in the southern hemisphere right now! Wherever you are I hope the weather is just on point for some lovely picnics and outside breakfast/brunch sessions. Let's say I've been out and about for picnic dates at least twice every week recently, double the number and you can get an approximate idea of how much sun spoiled us Londoners in the past weeks - bring it on spring!

Picnics call for easy, convenient fresh recipes, like this Bulgur Salad or some small snacks. And if you decide on an impromptu one, how about bringing along a loaf of freshly baked banana bread? Skip the sugar and highly-processed ingredients of the store bought version and reach into your cupboard instead!

I almost feel ashamed about hiding this banana bread recipe from your eyes for a whole year!! It's easy, quick and requires just a few pantry staple ingredients: some flour of choice (I used whole spelt), salt, yoghurt, milk, baking soda and vinegar. Make it vegan by substituting non-dairy alternatives and throw in some natural sweetener of choice and maybe some nuts, seeds or dried fruit (I used pecans) and you're all ready to go. Stir, pour and bake. And how about filling your basket with some more homemade good stuff and maybe a few favourite toppings for your banana bread before taking it out of the oven, wrapping it up (don't forget a knife to cut the slices!) and heading out of the door?

The bread is full of banana flavour, incredibely soft and airy and without the usual sugar rush. I recommend doubling the amount of sweetener if you have a sweet tooth, for me it worked fine with just one tablespoon honey. I wish you all some glorious spring/autumn days!!

Banana Bread
- makes one half pound-ish loaf
- 360g flour of choice (I used whole spelt, but feel free to grab whatever is left in your pantry: oat flour, whole wheat, rye, buckwheat...)
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 160 ml milk
- 120g yoghurt
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 3 Tbsp vinegar
- 1-3 Tbsp liquid sweetener of choice, I used honey

1. Preheat your oven to 200 °C.
2. Mix dry and wet ingredients seperately - add the wet mixture to the dry one, stir until just combined.
3. Pour batter into a regular sized loaf pan lined with parchment paper or greased with some oil.
4. Bake for 45 minutes up to 1 hour. The bread is done if the bottom sounds hollow when tapped or a skewer inserted comes out clean. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes, then remove from the pan and allow for further cooling or serve immediately. Enjoy!