Banana Pear Bread

I’ve probably tried every banana bread recipe on the internet. At least it feels that way. Most are too sweet, many are too dry, and some just don’t taste like anything. To me, banana bread should be healthy. It’s fruit and grain. How tough can that be? Well, the problem is it’s not super easy to get the right balance to meet all of those criteria: not too sweet, still moist, flavorful, and good for you.

Last week I had bananas turning brown and a fridge drawer full of ripe pears. Instead of freezing the bananas for later use, I decided to try one more time. And I’m super happy with the result!

I won’t drag this out into a crazy long post, because I know you really just want the recipe. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Yield: 10

Ingredients

2 ripe bananas
3 medium pears, peeled and cored
1 3/4 c flour (I used whole wheat)
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a loaf pan with 2 parchment paper strips (overlapping in the bottom of the pan, coming all the way up over the sides).
Add the bananas and pears into a food processor. Process until mostly smooth (a few pieces are ok) but not mushy.
Pour the mixture into a large bowl. Add 1 c of the flour and the rest of the ingredients and mix (with a large spoon/spatula) until just combined, making sure to scrape down the sides regularly.
Add the remaining flour and combine. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan and tap the pan on the counter to release any trapped air.
Bake the loaf in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, checking after 40 minutes. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean, the bread is done. It’s best not to overbake it, or you’ll end up with a dry quick bread.

Notes

Calories: 178
Carbohydrate: 38.1g
Protein: 3.8g
Fat: 1.1g