Vegan Banana Bread

I am still in the midst of reading The Shark God by Charles Montgomery, so I decided to share the results of this weekend's baking: vegan banana bread. This is a recipe that I make every couple of months or so, and have found it to be easy to make, delicious, and perfectly moist. For those of you who are vegan or who are trying to lay off of eggs, this is a great replacement for standard banana bread that uses eggs.

Vegan Banana Bread
Heavily inspired by Moist and Delicious Banana Bread
In a large bowl mix:

• 3 cups flour (I did 2 cups white, 1 cup whole wheat)
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon

In a medium size bowl mash bananas, and then mix in the ingredients up to the brown sugar:

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 2 tablespoons light cooking oil (Canola is a good choice. I have also used almond oil, but that is not very light - and it is expensive.)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar (This time I used light brown sugar.)

In a small bowl or glass mix:

• 4 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. light cooking oil
• 2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a large pan (9x15x2 is a good size for this recipe), and set aside.

Mix the first batch of ingredients. If you can, sift them together to make sure everything mixes well together. If you don't have a sifter you can use a wire whisk to stir. I use the latter option and it works well for me.

In a second medium sized bowl first mash the bananas. I use a potato masher, but a fork could work, too. After you mash the bananas add the oil, vanilla and sugars.

Now the fun part - the binder. This is what replaces eggs, and I always feel like a kid back in elementary school when I mix this together. In a small bowl mix together the water, oil, and baking powder. When you add the baking powder and start mixing it all together (I use a fork) the concoction starts to fizz. Pour your egg replacer into the banana mixture and stir. You'll notice that the consistency of the banana mixture has now changed and is acting more like a binder.

Add the banana mixture to the bowl with the flour and other dry ingredients. Stir this all together with a spoon, and once it is completely mixed (try to not over-stir) pour it into your greased baking pan.

Put your baking pan in the oven, and bake for about one hour. Check it at the 45 minute mark to see how it is doing (use a toothpick or knife in the middle of the bread and if it comes out clean you'll know it is done). If it still needs more time then leave it in until the full hour is up.

Take it out of the oven and let it cool, then slice it up and serve.

Our favorite way to eat this is to place a slice of banana bread in our toaster oven for a few minutes, and then to spread some butter on it (we use Earth Balance or Soy Garden).

Consider playing around with this recipe. Would other spices work instead of or in addition to the cinnamon? Maybe nutmeg? Try other flours as well. Maybe all whole wheat or try a gluten free flour. See how well it binds with half the egg replacer, or use Ener-G Egg Replacer. Try adding walnuts or other kinds of nuts that might go well with bananas. Use applesauce instead of oil (except for the egg replacer - that might not work well). Whatever you do, it is an easy recipe and you shouldn't be disappointed.