Sweeten your banana bread naturally with fresh dates!
There is zero sugar added to this delicious recipe, simply the wonderful earthy sweetness from fresh Medjool dates, ripe bananas, and toasty pecans. This quick bread is packed with fiber, protein, and healthy fats.
Bake With Ripe Bananas
Banana bread is a great way to use up sweet ripe bananas. Ripe bananas contribute to the natural sweetness and moist, cake-like texture of this bread.
Banana Date Bread Recipe
Recipe yields 4 mini loaves, or 2 standard loaves.
1 cup pecans, lightly toasted
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 pound (20 large) Medjool dates, halved and pitted
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
4 eggs
2 cups (5 large) ripe bananas, mashed
Bread pans
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F. Spread the pecans out on a cookie sheet in a single layer. Toast for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool.
2. Preheat your oven to 325°F.
3. In your food processor combine the flour, dates, salt, and baking powder, then process until the mixture is a sandy texture.
4. In a mixing bowl or stand mixer combine the butter and coconut oil and cream them together. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing thoroughly after each egg. Then add the banana and beat until well mixed.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just incorporated. Add the toasted pecans and mix gently.
6. Grease your bread pans with a small amount of coconut oil, then split the batter between them. I use a pan that makes four mini loaves. They are the perfect size to eat up quickly, and the extra loaves can be frozen easily or given as gifts.
7. Bake your loaves at 325°F for 50 minutes (60 minutes for larger loaves) or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf pulls away clean.
8. Let the loaves rest for 5 minutes in the pan before removing them to the cooling racks.
Serve this banana bread slightly warm with good-quality pastured or raw butter.
Because of the large number of eggs in this recipe, I do recommend refrigerating or freezing the loaves that will not be eaten within 24 hours of baking. This bread reheats wonderfully in the toaster or oven.