On a cold snowy day, this easy banana bread recipe for the bread maker will make your house smell delicious. I love being able to dump all the ingredients into the bread maker because it means less dishes for me to clean! Next time you have some overripe bananas that need to be used up, break out the bread maker and enjoy.

Why do those bananas turn brown so fast sometimes? One reason is you may be storing them too close to your apples. Apples “off-gas” and it can spoil other fruits and vegetables. I suggest keeping apples in a separate spot, or transfer them to the fridge and keep in a container with some paper towels to absorb any moisture.

You can play around with this easy banana bread recipe in your bread maker. Add nuts, or keep it nut free and safe for school lunches. Try a gluten-free flour mix, like the one from Bob’s Red Mill’s, and see what you think.

We use the Breville Bread Maker and have been very happy with it. The shape of the bread always comes out great and there are no clumps of flour, even if I don’t scrape down the sides. Making your own banana bread in the bread maker is quick and a healthier alternative to packaged banana breads that are full of questionable preservatives.

One tip I got from my mother-in-law was to take the overripe bananas, peel them, then freeze in batches of three. That will generally give you the 1 1/2 cups of mashed bananas you need for most recipes. I keep loads of bananas peeled and ready to go for our green smoothies kids will love.

BANANA BREAD RECIPE IN THE BREAD MAKER

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Course: Breakfast

Keyword: bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup of yogurt
• 1/4 cup of milk
• 1/3 cup room temperature butter cut into 1/2'' pieces
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 2 eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas. typically 3 bananas
• 2 2/3 cups all purpose or white whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

• Add ingredients to the bread machine in the order listed. Add walnuts to fruit/nut dispenser (on Breville model, or add to bread pan directly.)
• Place pan in bread machine and set to Quick loaf, or appropriate setting for non-yeast bread.
• Press start. Scrape sides (if you remember, otherwise don't worry) after first few minutes of the mixing cycle.
• Remove bread pan when timer finishes. Let cool for 5 minutes, then remove bread carefully and let cool for another 15 minutes. This cuts down on the crumble factor, but it will be really hard to wait!

Notes

Note~ you could also replace the yogurt and milk with 1/4 cup of buttermilk. I generally don’t buy buttermilk but always have my homemade yogurt on hand to use in recipes. We also use our homemade applesauce in this recipe. I replaced some of the butter called for in the original recipe with the applesauce to make it healthier.

Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

READY TO GO MAKE AN EASY BANANA BREAD IN YOUR BREAD MAKER? ENJOY!

As we get closer to outdoor farmers market season, I’m excited to enjoy some fresh, local ingredients again. Two of my favorites are strawberry and rhubarb. We had a large rhubarb patch in our yard growing up and I have fond memories of my Dad bringing stalks to my Nana, who then would deliver a batch of her strawberry-rhubarb sauce. Just delicious! I found a recipe for strawberry rhubarb pie bars and decided to give them a try. Yes, these too are delicious!

I found my rhubarb at our local farm stand. It’s not local quite yet, but it tasted fresh. Look for stalks that are strong and  pass on any that feel flimsy. I would have liked a few more strawberries in my pie bars, but my little helpers decided to “help” themselves as we made this in the afternoon during snack time. When the strawberries and rhubarb are local, I’ll have a hard time deciding between making these again or my Strawberry Rhubarb Galette.

This is the consistency you want for the crust and topping.

The recipe is structured like a crumble, with one crust being baked ahead of making your filling. Make the crust and topping first, get it into the oven, then start on the filling. It will help you with the timing of the dish.

STRAWBERRY RHUBARB PIE BARS FOR SPRING

Delicious strawberry rhubarb pie bars just right for when the fruits are in season in spring.

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Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Pie

Ingredients

• Crust and Topping
• 3 cups flour I used white whole wheat, or you can use all purpose
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1½ cups 3 sticks unsalted butter, chilled
• Fruit Filling
• 4 eggs
• 1½ cups sugar
• ½ cup yogurt
• ¼ cup milk
• ¾ cup flour all purpose or white whole wheat
• pinch of salt
• zest of ½ lemon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups strawberries hulled and quartered
• 2 cups rhubarb chopped into ½ inch slices

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350. Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. (I use coconut oil to grease my pans.)
• Make the crust/topping first. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Pulse to distribute evenly. Add butter and pulse to create a crumbly mixture.
• Save 2 cups of the crumbly mixture to use as the topping. Pour the rest into the greased baking pan. Press mixture into the bottom of the pan and bake 12-15 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, then add the sugar, yogurt, milk, flour, salt, lemon zest and vanilla extract. Gently fold in the berries and rhubarb. Pour mixture evenly over the baked crust. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the top of the filling. Bake 55-65 minutes.
• Cool at least one hour before cutting into bars. If it's warm, it will be more like a fruit crumble.

Tried this recipe?Mention @emilyroachwellness or tag #erwellness!

What is one of your favorite spring desserts?