Roasted Strawberry Banana Bread
A light, moist, and healthier version of banana bread, topped with juicy bits of roasted strawberries for a fresh, summery twist.
- Cook Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: two 9" x 5" loaves 1x
Ingredients
Scale
- 15 ounces (3 cups) chopped strawberries, plus extra for topping
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 9 1/2 ounces (2 1/4 cups, spoon and level) all-purpose flour
- 10 1/2 ounces (2 1/2 cups, spoon and level) whole wheat pasty flour, divided
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 lb 3 1/8 ounces (2 1/4 cups) mashed banana (not puréed - it's okay if it's a little chunky)
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) plain nonfat greek yogurt
- 5 ounces (1/2 cup) roasted strawberry juices (reserved from roasting)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 5 3/8 ounces (2/3 cup) unrefined coconut oil
- 7 1/2 ounces (1 cup, packed) brown sugar
- 3 eggs, room temperature*
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425ºF. Toss strawberries and honey together in an 8" square baking dish and roast for 15 minutes, or until strawberry juices are bubbling. Transfer berries to a large, fine-mesh strainer or colander set over a bowl and allow juices to strain from strawberries.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF. Grease two 9" x 5" loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- In a bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, 9 1/2 ounces (2 1/4 cups, spoon and level) whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, and salt.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the mashed banana, yogurt, 5 ounces (1/2 cup) of the reserved strawberry juices, and vanilla until well-combined (any remaining strawberry juices can be saved for another use).
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a large bowl with a handheld beater), cream together the coconut oil and brown sugar until well-combined. Wipe down the bowl and beater and beat in eggs one at a time, until incorporated, wiping down after each addition. Reduce mixer speed to low and add 1/3 of the dry ingredients followed by 1/2 of the wet ingredients, allowing each addition to mix in partially before adding the next, continuing until all of the dry and wet ingredients have been added. End with the dry ingredients, stopping the mixer when only a few streaks remain visible in the batter.
- Gently toss the strained berries with the remaining 1 ounce (1/4 cup, spoon and level) pastry flour just until no flour remains loose on the bottom of the bowl. Add the entire mixture to the batter and fold in just until evenly incorporated.
- Divide batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans and smooth the top of each out gently with a spatula. Top each loaf with a few extra pieces of fresh chopped strawberries.
- Bake loaves in the preheated oven, middle rack, for 30 minutes. Carefully cover with a large piece of aluminum foil and continue to bake for another 50-55 minutes, removing foil during the last 5-10 minutes of baking. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of each loaf comes out clean.
- Cool loaves in pans for about 30 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Loaves can be kept at room temperature for up to 3 days, but should be refrigerated for longer storage. Best served at room temperature.
Notes
*To quickly bring eggs to room temperature, place in a bowl filled with warm water and let sit for 5-10 minutes.