Amish Friendship Banana Bread Recipe

I've been experimenting with variations of an Amish Friendship Bread recipe Regina gave me.  The original recipe is cinnamon bread, which is delicious.  However, after making it every ten days for weeks, I've been wanting new variations, and I'm trying to straddle the line between great taste and healthy ingredients.  I made this banana bread this weekend, and it has been yummy!

This recipe does use the starter that Regina gave me, but just in case she didn't give you one too, you can find recipes for the Amish Friendship Bread Starter online. 

Amish Friendship Banana Bread 

 

1. Pour entire contents of the starter into a large, non-metal bowl.  Be sure to stir with a non-metal spoon and use non-metal pans also.

2. Add 1 1/3 cups flour, 1 ½ cups sugar, 1 1/3 cups milk. Mix well. (For four starters. For only one, add only ¾ cups of all ingredients.)

3. Label 4 (or only 1) one gallon ziplock bags with “Day 1…” and the date. Put 1 c. of the batter mixture into each of these bags. These are the starters for you to pass on to your friends. You may keep one if you want to continue making the bread yourself.

4. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

5. To the remaining batter, add:
3 eggs
3/4 c. canola oil (or ½ oil and ½ applesauce.  I didn't like the texture as well when I used the applesauce, and I thought the bread just tasted like apples.  Which isn't bad, but isn't what I was going for.)
½ c. skim milk
1 c. sugar
2 mashed ripe bananas
½ tsp. vanilla
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
2 c. whole wheat flour
1 large box banana instant pudding
1 c. chopped walnuts (I saved back about 1/4 cup and sprinkled them on top.)
1/2 cup milled flax seed
6. Grease bottom and sides of 2 large loaf pans. Dust the inside of the pans with a bit of sugar, making sure to coat sides and bottom.

7. Pour batter evenly into the 2 pans.

8. Bake for approximately 1 hour (until a toothpick comes out clean.  Mine took more like an hour and ten minutes).

Sorry, I don't have calorie counts or fiber content or any of that stuff.  I just figure it's much better for me than using white flour, whole milk, etc...  And the banana, walnuts, and flax seed are nutritious.  A slice of this with my coffee makes a pretty filling breakfast too.

For more great Tuesdays at the Table, visit Cole at All the Small Stuff.