Spelt Banana Bread is deliciously moist and full of fibre so healthier than your average cake! It’s also the perfect way to use up 4 overripe bananas.
I was completely blown away by this Spelt Banana Bread today and have to say it’s the best Banana Bread I have ever tasted. I have never used spelt flour before and have heard so much about it and yet knew nothing about it until now.
Last weekend I read with great interest an article in the Daily Mail about Roger Saul, the founder of designer label Mulberry and his journey in setting up Sharpham Park. It is here that organic spelt is grown and turned into Bran Flakes, Pearled Spelt, Spelt Flours, Spelt Risottos, Cereal Bars and Artisan Pasta.
Spelt is a great source of fibre and therefore Sharpham Park decided it would be a great idea to work with Bowel Cancer UK for their Bowel Cancer Awareness Month (April).
The British Medical Journal has published research which shows that an increase in fibre, especially cereal fibre and whole grains can help to prevent bowel cancer.
By adding 3 servings (90g) of whole grains into your daily diet you can cut your risk of bowel cancer by about 20%.
To promote their joint message they have collected some tasty high fibre recipes from 30 famous culinary friends which have been published online as “Great British Spelt Recipes”.
This Spelt Banana Bread is from Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights by Sophie Dahl (Harper Collins).
After today’s resounding success I can’t wait to try some more recipes out, I think spelt has put a spell on me! Not only is spelt high in fibre but it also contains plenty of iron, potassium, zinc, riboflavin and other vitamins and minerals.
Also because of its unique gluten structure, it is far easier to digest than its distant cousin wheat and therefore great for people with wheat intolerance.
For more information on Bowel Cancer UK visit www.bowelcanceruk.org.uk or free phone 0800 8403540.
More recipes using Spelt Flour
- Spelt Banoffee Flapjacks with Dark Chocolate
- Apple & Chocolate Spelt Swiss Roll
- Quick Spelt Butternut Squash Cake
- Spelt Danish Apple Ring
- Spelt & Wholemeal No Knead Loaf
- Spelt & Chia Fishtail Plait
- Apple & Pear Cider Spelt Soda Bread
More Banana Recipes
Can you use different flour to spelt flour in this banana bread?
Yes I have made it with ordinary plain flour but would recommend using wholemeal as it adds a nuttiness similar to that of spelt flour or use a combination of the two. I have also used a mixture of strong plain flour and self raising flour when that’s all I had and that worked fine too. This is a very forgiving recipe!
I do hope you try this Banana Bread as it’s a great way to use up 4 ripe or over-ripe bananas!
As this recipe uses up ripe bananas and store cupboard ingredients with hardly any butter I am entering it into this month’s Credit Crunch Munch which is a joint challenge run by myself this month and Helen at Fuss Free Flavours. I am also entering this months No Waste Food Challenge which is the fab Kate at Turquoise Lemons‘ brain child and is being hosted by the equally fab Elizabeth over at Elizabeth’s Kitchen this month where the theme is fruit and this recipe is perfect for those over ripe bananas!
I’m sure you’ll love this quick banana bread so please leave a comment and rating when you make it! If you’re on social media you can also share a photo by tagging @FabFood4All as I love seeing my recipes come to life!
Pin this easy banana bread for later!
Thank you to Sharpham Park for my samples of spelt flour and pearled spelt.
Spelt Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 75 g soft butter plus extra for greasing and serving
- 4 ripe bananas (medium sized) mashed up
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 1 egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 170 g spelt flour (see notes for alternatives)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Grease a 13 x 23-cm/ 9 x 5 inch bread tin. (I used my largest loaf tin).
- Pour the mashed bananas into a big mixing bowl. Mix in the butter, sugar, egg and vanilla extract.
- Add the bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix in the flour last. Pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 1 hour, remove and cool, then serve in slices with a little butter.
Vanessa A Mendonca
Can I use maple syrup instead of brown sugar? Have any idea of quantity? Thank you!
Camilla
I’ve Googled and seen on Pure Maple’s website that they use the same amount of maple syrup in a Victoria Sponge as the flour and butter, so I think you would just use the same amount of maple syrup as the sugar in this recipe ie 170 grams. I can’t vouch for this as have never tried but in theory this should work. Let me know how you get on:-)
Komal
Hi there, thank you for such a yummy recipe , I have made it so many times now everyone loves it, so easy , delish and keeps in the fridge very well
Camilla
Thank you Komal, Sophi Dahl’s recipe is a winner isn’t it:-)
Monika Galvin
Do u need so much sugar ? As I’m diabetic is there an other alternative, as I really want to use Ur recipe thanks
Camilla
Hi Monika, I actually lowered the sugar to 150 grams when I made this at the weekend and it was absolutely fine. Since menopause I can’t tolerate sugar like I used to so had gone cold turkey and given up on it as it was giving me sleepless nights and numbness in the small hours. Recently I discovered the Glucose Goddess and can now have the odd sugary treat if I take here advice and have a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water beforehand. It takes away the sharp glucose spike and I don’t get the night time symptoms. Perhaps worth a try, there’s advice about the vinegar hack on the Diabetes UK website which I looked at recently for another reader with a similar conversation about jam I think.
Esther Krishnan
Thank you for the Banana Bread Recipe. I bake it it’s turned up very tasty and soft.♥️♥️♥️
Camilla
So glad you like it Esther, you might like my Banana Cake recipe too which is another favourite here!
Amy
I was wondering if anyone has tried freezing it and how well it freezes? also for how long can it be frozen or any other details someone might have
Camilla
Hi Amy, you can freeze cake for up to 3 months. If you want to keep your cake for longer than a week it’s worth Googling methods of wrapping to avoid freezer burn as single freezer bag with the air removed won’t be enough.
Angela
This is my go to recipe when it comes to banana bread. Foremost I have a friend with a mill and have the best quality of spelt flour at hand. All the family adores this recipe. Actually, whenever I make other cakes, everyone uses your cake as a comparison meter! The only adjustment I make is the amount of sugar which I reduce to 100 g, I sometimes just throw some add-ins whenever I feel like it. Honestly, there is no need to. My 2 sons have been the ones baking it for the last year or so! Oh and it is the perfect school snack.
Camilla
Thank you Angela it is such a fabulous recipe! However I can’t take the credit for it, I was asked to reproduce the recipe from Sophie Dahl by Sharpham Park many years ago and it’s become a firm favourite hear too. I got hooked on spelt flour and went on to post many recipes uses this amazing healthy flour:-)
Emma Bennett
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
I have made some adjustments with the recipe and found it to be the most moist and delicious banana cake I have tried so far and have shared banana cake with others and now there are constant requests for it.
*Brown sugar reduced to 100g
*The flour is half white spelt and half buckwheat
*Two bananas instead of 4 bananas, the riper the better
*Crushed some walnuts and pecans and added to the end once the flour has been mixed
*Lined the tray with baking paper as it’s so easy just to take it out. No need to grease it
In my oven reduced it to 45 minutes cooking time
Camilla
A pleasure Emma. Glad you could make Sophie’s recipe your own:-)