Tuesday's Twist: Eggless Banana Bread

Tuesday's Twist:  A basic recipe with a fun twist.  In other words, just another excuse for me to play around with weird recipes I've been dying to try.

Let's say you've made, I don't know, 4 or 5 batches of muffins over the past few weeks but still find yourself in a 'let's bake with bananas' mood.  Because, obviously, 'let's bake with bananas' is a mood.  If that happens to be the case then banana bread is what you get.  This version is unintentionally eggless, vegan and fat-free...and may or may not have been baked alongside insanely fudgey brownies that were everything but fat-free, vegan and eggless.

I found this recipe for banana bread about a year ago and keep going back to it.  Since I know a few people with egg allergies I figured it was about time to share it with you.  Well, that and I felt like baking banana bread.  I'd make banana bread more often, but the bananas always disappear before they're black enough for baking.  I have to hide them and plan far in advance if I want any ripe bananas left for baking.  But you didn't really need to know about that monkey business.

Just like bananas acquire more flavor with time, so does this bread.  I prefer to tuck the loaf away for a few days to let the banana flavors deepen.  It's hard to wait, but it's worth it.  While this bread is quite moist, it isn't rich or over-the-top.  It doesn't taste just like full-fat banana bread, but you can devour several slices for breakfast and still have room for let's say Moosewood Brownies from this cookbook.  The original banana bread recipe calls for several spices but I like my banana bread to be, well, banana-ey.  If you're in the mood for a spicier banana bread feel free to add your favorite spices or follow the variation below.

Banana Bread (Eggless, Vegan and Fat-Free)
adapted from Veganizzm

Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla

**Variation: For spiced banana bread add 1 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/4 tsp ginger to the dry ingredients and 1/2 tsp finely grated orange peel to the wet ingredients.

Instructions:
* Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease a 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 x 2-1/2-inch  loaf pan (or 2 loaf pans, each approximately 7-1/2 x 3-1/2 x 2-1/4-inch). 
* In a large bowl combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt and baking soda (and spices listed in variation, if using).  
* In a small bowl combine mashed banana, applesauce, brown sugar and vanilla (and orange peel in variation, if using).  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Stir just until moistened. Over-stirring will result in a tough, rubbery loaf.
* Pour batter into prepared pan (or pans) and bake 55-60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 50 minutes for smaller pans).  Remove from pan and let cool on wire rack.  When completely cool, store in an airtight container.  Slices can be eaten right away, but flavors deepen as bread sits a few days.

Food for Thought: "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning, great is your faithfulness. " -Lamentations 3:22-23