Banana Bread with Pecan Crumble

This fluffy version of banana bread cuts the salt but adds a crunchy, nutty topping that more than makes up for the missing sodium.

It is not unusual for me to end up with a couple of overripe bananas hanging around the kitchen and when it happens I toss them in a large ziploc bag in the freezer.  Not too long ago I found myself with about 15 frozen (and very very ripe) bananas.  I decided it was past time to test some low sodium banana bread.  I have made some in the past with mixed results, but I figured now that I had so many bananas on hand it was a good time for trial an error.

I started with a basic recipe for banana bread from my Joy of Cooking cookbook and just kind of went to town from there.  One of my favorite things about this recipe is the lemon zest, which brings a lot of flavor to the bread.  And isn’t that what we are always looking for when we pull out the sodium?  I tested bread with added pineapple, bread with coconut, bread with coconut oil, and as many combinations of those as I could imagine.   Let me tell you, we were not hurting for snack breads for a while.  Some of the combinations I tried were pretty good.  Some others had great texture, but were a little bit ho-hum on flavor.  I finally ended up with a really great bread with a texture that is less dense and more cake-like than a traditional banana bread.

You make the bread much like you’d make other banana bread.  Whisk together the flour and baking powder in one bowl, and in another bowl, cream together the coconut oil, sugar, and lemon zest.

Then you mash your bananas in a separate bowl and add them (along with vanilla and eggs) to the sugar mixture.

After you mix this together well, add the flour mixture a little at a time until combined.  Then you just pour the batter into a loaf pan, top with the pecan crumble, and bake.

Banana Bread with Pecan Crumble

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SODIUM COUNT: 12.7 mg per serving; 152.8 mg in the entire loaf

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 12 slices 1x

Ingredients

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Pecan Crumble:

• ¼ cup turbinado sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup pecans ((chopped))
• 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter ((cut into small chunks))

Banana Bread:

• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 ¼ teaspoons sodium-free baking powder
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• ¾ teaspoon lemon zest ((from about ½ a lemon))
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 medium overripe bananas ((mashed))

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Instructions

Pecan Crumble:

1. In a small bowl, mix together three tablespoons flour, turbinado sugar, and pecans.
2. Cut in the cold butter with a fork (or your hands) until crumbly. Put in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Banana Bread:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°.  Spray a loaf pan (8 1/2” x 4 1/2”) with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugar, and lemon zest. Mix using a hand mixer or a stand mixer until creamed, 1-2 minutes.
4. Add the eggs, vanilla, and bananas and continue to mix until combined.
5. Add the flour mixture (1/2 cup at a time) to the banana mixture, stirring well after each addition.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top evenly with the pecan crumble.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean.  

Notes

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION Yield: 12 thick slices

Sodium: 12.7 mg, Calories: 253.7, Total Fat: 11.8 g, Saturated Fat: 7.6 g, Cholesterol: 42.9 mg, Carbohydrates: 35.2 g, Fiber: 1.5 g, Sugar: 19.0 g, Protein: 3.4 g.

This bread will keep in the refrigerator for several days, but tastes best when served fresh.