my new go-to banana bread.

somehow, i seem to have at least 3 über-ripe-slash-on-the-verge-of-going-bad bananas lying around my kitchen at any given moment. 

it works like this: i buy a bunch of bananas at the beginning of the week. i eat one every few days. 5 days in, only a couple are gone and the rest are on their way to the compost bin... unless someone intervenes.

obviously, that someone is me. but perhaps not quite as obvious is that my solution is pretty much always banana bread. lots and lots of banana bread.

i have a couple of go to recipes, one of which i posted about last summer. i tend to like banana breads you can't mess up. if i'm making a quickbread, i'm not in any mood to worry about that thing known as precision.

which is why today's recipe is a new favorite. it's vegan, ingredient-minimal, moist, and very banana-y. I like to throw poppy seeds into most of my baked goods, but i'm betting 1/4 cup shredded coconut or chopped walnuts would be delightful too. in fact, i'm pretty sure this recipe can handle most add-ins and spontaneous ingredient decisions. 

go-to banana bread.
adapted from bread and honey

3 small, very ripe bananas


1/2 cup applesauce


1/2 cup brown sugar


2 tablespoons runny honey


2 cups all-purpose flour


3/4 teaspoon baking soda


2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


1-2 tablespoon poppy seeds (depending on your love of crunch)

1/2 teaspoon salt



preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. lightly grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan.


in a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. add the sugar, applesauce, and honey. whisk briefly till just incorporated.

sift in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, poppy seeds, and salt. mix by hand until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.
transfer the batter to the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 50 minutes, until lightly browned and a tester through the center comes out clean.

remove from oven. let sit for about 10 minutes before flipping the bread right side up and devouring.