Banana Coconut Bread

Butter and honey slathered banana coconut bread anyone? Something about home baked banana bread screams comfort food to us. We especially love this bread with a generous slab of butter and a healthy smear of lehua blossom or kiawe blossom honey. It makes a great grab-n-go breakfast, a sweet afternoon snack, or a late night nibble. It’s low in added sugar and naturally sweet from the bananas too, making a kid-friendly treat as well. Bonus points for making the whole house smell like a tropical bakery.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 c organic whole wheat pastry or spelt flour
• 1/2 c organic old fashioned oats (preferably soaked overnight in filtered water + a squeeze of lemon juice)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2 organic, pastured eggs
• 1/3 c organic coconut oil
• 1/4 c shredded organic coconut
• 1 - 1/2 c milk of your choice - nut milk or raw milk
• 2 very ripe, mashed bananas
• 3 tbsp. coconut sugar or maple syrup
• 3 tbsp. orange juice
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

Optional:

• Dark chocolate chips - at least 70% or stevia or monk fruit sweetened to keep sugar content lower
• Chopped Walnuts - about 3/4 c

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
2. In a medium mixing bowl combine dry ingredients - flour, [drained oats] oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg
3. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, mashed banana, coconut sugar or maple syrup, orange juice, orange zest, 1 c of the milk, and melted coconut oil
4. Slowly incorporate wet ingredients to dry ingredients - if the mixture is too sticky, add up to the additional 1/2 cup of milk - mix until well combined
5. Mix in shredded coconut
6. Pour into a buttered 4 x 8 loaf or bread pan
7. Bake for about 50 -60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the loaf begins to crack