Is oatmeal banana bread healthy?

This chocolate oatmeal banana bread can be a healthier breakfast option than your typical banana bread recipes. It uses ground oats instead of all-purpose flour so it includes more fiber. It also contains less sugar than your average loaf of banana bread. The secret to the sweetness and moisture of this loaf is that the bananas were very ripe (see the photos above). This made them easier to mush and incorporate into the batter. They also released more natural sugars in the baking process as a result of their ripeness.

Can I add oats to my banana bread?

While I love oats in banana bread, I don't recommend adding them to just any banana bread recipe. If a recipe isn't explicitly written to account for the use of old-fashioned oats instead of flour, your loaf may not bake correctly. Use a recipe like this one for incorporating oats into your loaf.

Why did the center of my oat flour banana bread fall?

If you don't keep your loaf in your oven long enough to finish baking, the center may be too wet and sink as it cools. Excess amounts of leavening agents can also cause the bread to rise too quickly and then collapse in the middle. Measure carefully. Also, if you often have issues with baked goods falling, this may mean your oven temperature is inaccurate. Use an oven thermometer to double-check. It's worth noting that with this recipe, your loaf may sink just a touch after baking. It is a wetter batter, but that's what gives it nice moisture, too. Once you've flipped your loaf onto the cooling rack, it will literally fall back into place.

Easy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Banana Bread

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5 from 2 reviews

This chocolate chip oatmeal banana bread is filling and tasty, thanks especially to the Greek yogurt, chocolate, oats, and banana inside.

Author: Susan Gravatt
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 1 loaf of banana bread 1x
Category: Dessert

Ingredients

Scale

2 cups (195 grams) old fashioned oats (you’ll grind this amount into oat flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick (114 grams) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/3 cup (65 grams) tightly packed light or dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 large ripened (brown on the outside) bananas, mashed
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (65 grams) of whole milk, full-fat Greek yogurt, room temperature
2/3 cup (120 grams) chocolate chips

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Instructions

Preheat your oven to 350°F.
Generously butter and flour your 8.5 x 4.5 x 2.5 inch aluminum loaf pan or coat it with baking release spray like Baker’s Joy or homemade equivalent. Alternatively, you may line a straight-sided loaf pan with parchment paper for easier removal.
In a food processor or blender, pulse your old fashioned oats until finely ground. Alternatively, hold back on grinding them completely if you want a bit of texture for your loaf.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine oat flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
Using a hand mixer or electric mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter, vanilla extract, and brown sugar together for 5 minutes on medium-high. Scrape down bowl halfway to ensure all ingredients are incorporated.
Into your bowl of wet ingredients, add Greek yogurt and mashed bananas. Mix for another 2 minutes on medium speed.
Pour your eggs into the bowl one at a time, mixing the first one before adding the next. Mix on medium-high speed for two minutes.
Scrape the sides of your bowl, and add your dry ingredients to it, mixing together with the hand or stand mixer for about 15 seconds on medium high. Fold in your mini chocolate chips, and finish incorporating all ingredients manually with a spatula to avoid over-mixing.
Pour batter into pan. Bake for 45 – 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and loaf is beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cool loaf in pan for 10 minutes before inverting on a cooling rack.

Notes

While freshly baked banana bread is delicious to eat, this kind of loaf is noticeably more flavorful the following day. If you can, I recommend preparing it an evening or day before you actually plan to eat it. Allowing the flavors time to meld together in an uncut loaf makes the taste ultimately a stronger one.
Relatedly, hold off from cutting into this loaf immediately after baking. When you do, you’re releasing the steam in the loaf, which keeps it moist and delicious.
This recipe makes about 3.25 cups of batter (900 grams).

Please note that the nutritional information is an estimate and based on one slice of this loaf, which would yield approximately 10 servings.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1 slice
Calories: 281 kcal
Sugar: 16.4 grams
Sodium: 168 mg
Fat: 12.4 grams
Saturated Fat: 7.8 grams
Unsaturated Fat: 4 grams
Carbohydrates: 32.1 grams
Fiber: 2.19 grams
Protein: 5.08 grams
Cholesterol: 67.8 mg

Find it online: https://susanbringsdessert.com/chocolate-chip-oatmeal-banana-bread/