Low Fat Oatmeal Banana Bread

Low fat. Banana bread. Two things I like. Two things that don’t usually go together. Until today, that is. Today’s recipe takes classic banana bread and lightens it up a bit. There is, however, nothing light about the taste or texture.

This is banana bread you can feel good about. Unlike its more fattening peers, this bread doesn’t have any butter in it. Surprisingly, that doesn’t seem to matter. The bread is moist and rich tasting with a strong, but not overpowering, banana flavor.

It’s also more heart-healthy than your typical banana bread because it is chock full of oats. Being something of a banana bread purist, I wasn’t sure how I’d like oats in my bread. Much to my surprise, they added a really nice texture and chewiness. The oats also helped keep me full a lot longer than my usual banana bread, making it a great breakfast option. I will definitely be making this banana bread again – especially as we head into summer and bathing suit season!

Low Fat Banana Oatmeal Bread
Adapted from Joy the Baker

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup uncooked old fashioned oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 large bananas, very ripe
3 tsp canola oil
1 large egg, beaten
2 large egg whites, beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, mash the bananas.

Add the oil and the whole egg to the mashed bananas. Mix well.

Add the banana mixture to the oat mixture. Stir to combine.

In a medium bowl, beat the egg whites with a hand mixer until medium-stiff peaks form.  Gently fold the egg whites into the batter in three additions.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until the top of the bread is firm to the touch and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool in the pan for 5 minutes then remove the bread from the pan and finish cooling on a wire cooling rack.

Slice the bread and serve warm or at room temperature.

** The bread will keep for several days tightly wrapped at room temperature.