A Lighter Take on Classic Banana Bread

This not too sweet moist banana bread is a Cooking Light recipe that I've made a few adaptations to after making is a few its. 

Yield: 1 loaf or about 12 to 16 muffins 

Ingredients

2  cups  all-purpose flour

3/4  teaspoon  baking soda

1/2  teaspoon  salt

1  cup  sugar

1/4  cup  butter, softened

2  large eggs

1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)

1/2  cup  plain low-fat yogurt (I will admit that I've used vanilla yogurt before because I didn't have plain)

1  teaspoon  vanilla extract

Preparation

1.      1. Preheat oven to 350°

2.      2. Spoon flour into a dry 1 cup measuring cups; level with a knife. If you just scoop the measuring cup into your flour container, it will pack in there tighter than if you spoon it in and you will end up with more than 2 cups of flour.

3.     3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir well, making sure that all the dry ingredients are mixed so that some muffins or part of the bread ends up with more baking soda or salt than others, either will be not to pleasant to eat. 

4.      4. Soften the butter for about 15 second in the microwave. 

5.      5. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). You can do this by hand it will just take slightly longer. 

6.      6. Add the eggs, 1 at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition. 

7.      7. Then add the banana (after mashing it with a fork), yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.

8.      8. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Then spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, or into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. 

9.      9. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean for a loaf and bake for 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

 Peel 3 medium very ripe bananas. I like for them to be turning pretty brown on the outside. Then mash them with a fork.

 Spoon flour into a dry 1 cup measuring cups; level with a knife. If you just scoop the measuring cup into your flour container, it will pack in there tighter than if you spoon it in and you will end up with more than 2 cups of flour.

 Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt and stir well, making sure that all the dry ingredients are mixed so that some muffins or part of the bread ends up with more baking soda or salt than others, either will be not to pleasant to eat. 

Soften the butter for about 15 second in the microwave. Combine the sugar and butter in a large bowl.

 Beat the butter and sugar mixture with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). You can do this by hand it will just take slightly longer. This is called creaming, you want the butter and sugar to be completely mixed and fluffy. 

 Add the eggs, 1 at a time to the butter and sugar mixture, beating well after each addition.

 Then add the banana (after mashing it with a fork), yogurt, and vanilla; beat until blended.

 Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. I like to add half of the dry mix and beat it, then add the second half. I find this much easier to get the wet and dry ingredients to combine. 

 Then spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray, or into a muffin tin lined with paper liners. 

 Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean for a loaf and bake for 25 minutes. 

Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Enjoy! Another adaptation you can do is substitute the butter with unsweetened apple sauce. The consistency will change a little if you chose to use the apple sauce but it's an even healthier option.