Start the year off right with healthy and tasty Banana Bran Mini Loaves. Easy to freeze, and perfect for school lunches.
Being a parent is often about striking the right balance. When it comes to feeding my kids, I try to find the happy medium between food that is nutritious, easy to make, time-saving, sustainable and that they actually want to eat! With the help of some awesome Glad to be Green® products, I ticked ALL those boxes creating my tasty Banana Bran Mini Loaves.
At the start of the school year, there is a lot to organise. To get ahead, I like to make a big batch of these mini loaves and freeze them in the Glad to be Green® Snap Lock® Reseal Bags. The bags are made from 50% plant based materials (produced from renewable sugar cane) giving them a lower carbon footprint. I also line my loaf tin with Glad to be Green® Compostable Bake Paper. This is sustainably sourced and as the name suggests - compostable!
These are the ultimate feel good snacks to make for your kids. Seriously quick to whip up, made from basic pantry staples and low waste. Not to mention really yummy!
How to make Banana Bran Loaves:
Preheat oven to 180°C fan bake. Line a mini loaf tin with baking paper. In a large glass bowl melt the butter in the microwave until soft (approx 40 seconds). Pour in the honey then add the brown sugar, whisk together until there are no lumps.
Add the milk and baking soda and whisk together. Sprinkle in wheat bran and mix through the wet ingredients. Let the mixture sit while you mash the bananas. Stir in the mashed bananas and egg until combined. Sift in plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Don't over mix, fold together until just combined.
Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tins. Top with extra thinly sliced banana if desired.
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and cooked through. After a few minutes, remove the mini loaves from the tin and peel off the paper. Let them cool on a baking rack.
This recipe can also be made in a muffin tray or even into one large loaf. Cooking time will vary.
Common questions about Banana Bran Mini Loaves:
How should I freeze these loaves? If you want to freeze some for later, seal loaves in Glad to be Green® Snap Lock® Bags and freeze once they have cooled to room temperature. Bring them out on the morning of school and they will be thawed by lunchtime in the lunchbox.
What other things could I add? For an extra flavour option you could add in blueberries (as per the picture below) or even walnuts.
AD - Thanks so much to GLAD for partnering with me to create this recipe.
I love a good loaf! Some of my favourites to make are Gingerbread Loaf, Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf and Nana's Date Loaf.
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Banana Bran Mini Loaves
Healthy banana mini loaves made with wheat bran.
Ingredients
- 100g butter
- ¼ cup runny honey
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 cup wheat bran (60g)
- 2 bananas, mashed
- 1 egg, whisked
- 1 cup plain flour (150g)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C fanbake. Line a mini loaf tin with Glad to be Green® Compostable Bake Paper .
- In a large glass bowl melt the butter in the microwave until soft (approx 40 seconds). Pour in the honey then add the brown sugar, whisk together until there are no lumps.
- Add the milk and baking soda and whisk together. Sprinkle in wheat bran and mix through the wet ingredients. Let the mixture sit while you mash the bananas.
- Stir in the mashed bananas and egg until combined. Sift in plain flour, baking powder and cinnamon. Don't over mix, fold together until just combined.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared loaf tins. Top with extra thinly sliced banana if desired.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until golden and cooked through.
- After a few minutes, remove the mini loaves from the tin and peel off the Glad to be Green® Compostable Bake Paper. Let them cool on a baking rack.
Notes
- This recipe can also be made in a muffin tray or even into one large loaf. Cooking time will vary.
- For an extra flavour option you could add blueberries.
- If you want to freeze to later, seal loaves in Glad to be Green® Snap Lock® Reseal Bags and freeze once they have cooled to room temperature. Bring them out on the morning of school and they will be thawed by lunchtime in the lunchbox.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 214Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 4gSugar: 14gProtein: 4g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Alex says
Thank you for this recipe.
I had to swap out wheat bran and plain flour for wholemeal flour ( totalling 2 cups but not changing any of the other quantities) and it worked a treat. Absolutely delicious. Yummo
Pali says
I am wanting to make this today but have no honey can I increase brown sugar or add white?
VJ cooks says
Yes, I would increase the brown sugar to 1/2 a cup plus 1 tablespoon. When replacing honey with brown sugar you need to use slightly more.
Pali says
So I would add 1/4 brown sugar and instead of honey add an additional 1/2c brown sugar + 1 tablespoon?
VJ cooks says
No. To replace the honey with brown sugar, you would increase the brown sugar from 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. The latter measurement covers the original measurement of brown sugar and the honey replacement.
Ma says
What is the USA equivalent of wheat bran
VJ cooks says
I just had a quick look and Bob's Red Mill makes Wheat Bran in the US https://www.bobsredmill.com/wheat-bran.html Substitutes could include oat bran, wheat germ, rice bran, whole wheat flour, rolled oats or oatmeal.
meryl says
Made these this morning - really moist and tasty. I am going to try them next time adding some orange juice or grated orange rind.
Sandra says
I added zest of 1 Orange, 1/2 C walnuts and 1/2 C Blueberries. In oven now.
Made in loaf tin.
Excited to try it!
VJ cooks says
Sounds delicious! Let me know how they turned out!
Sarah says
I tried to be clever and add two grated apples didn't work
VJ cooks says
Oh darn! It can get very wet with lots of fruit. I've just made some Apple/Bananna/Carrot muffins (will be on the website in a few months) and it took a bit of testing to get the consistency right!
Ness says
Hello, could you replace honey with maple syrup? Thanks
VJ cooks says
Absolutely.
Cheryl Finnimore says
Well this is such a moist, wholesome, delicious tasting cake…I did add a good handful of blueberries as suggested also used oat bran instead wheat bran and baked it in a round springform pan.
Thank you for the recipe, and will definitely make it again…good way to use up those ripe bananas too.
VJ cooks says
Great to know! Thanks for the feedback, Cheryl.
Janine says
Would it work if I added some chocolate chips? Kids are more likely to eat it with a bit of chocolate in
VJ cooks says
Go for it.