*The photos for this Rhubarb Banana Bread were updated on 5/25/16.*

You will never miss the oil or refined sugar in this delicious whole wheat bread recipe. The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor; while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Have you guys tried rhubarb? Before making this bread, I had never eaten the widely popular and really unique fruit vegetable. That’s right… rhubarb is actually a vegetable and surprisingly, a relative of buckwheat. To learn all about the health benefits of rhubarb, click here. When I started seeing the deep pink celery-like stalks turning up at the grocery store, I knew I had to find out what all the rage was about. After baking, you can see in the pictures that the rhubarb turns yellow and softens nicely.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

I googled “healthy rhubarb recipes” and also searched the rhubarb recipes on Foodgawker. I didn’t come across any rhubarb/banana recipes with my search. You know how much I love banana, plus it’s a natural sweetener (when ripe), so I thought this would be the perfect place to start. Unfortunately, my bananas were quite yellow and didn’t have any of those lovely brown spots us bakers like to see.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Not too long ago on some blog, (I don’t remember which one) I came across instructions for ripening bananas in the oven. This was so easy and worked like a charm. I put my two bananas (peel on), needed for this recipe, in the oven at 300 degrees F. for about 40 minutes and until soft and VERY brown. After my bananas had cooled slightly, I cut off one end of the peel and squeezed the banana out of the peel and into a bowl. They were very juicy and I just added all banana and juice to this recipe… I figured it would only add to the moistness of the bread.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Whoever says you can’t create a healthy whole wheat bread with no oil or refined sugar that tastes incredible… clearly does not know what they’re talking about. I AM IN LOVE with this bread!!!!! I was a little anxious about that taking that first bite because I typically add a little oil and sometimes sugar to my bread and I just didn’t know if this recipe would be all that tasty. With the sweetness and moisture from the extra ripe bananas and slight tartness from the rhubarb; this recipe was a winner in a major way.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.
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Rhubarb Banana Bread

You will never miss the oil or refined sugar in this delicious whole wheat bread recipe. The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor; while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.
Author: Kim

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spelt flour would probably work great too
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon all spice
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup mashed, ripe banana, about 2 medium bananas
  • 1/3 cup honey, I use raw local honey (brown sugar or maple syrup would probably work well too)
  • 1 cup finely chopped rhubarb, about 1 large stalk

Instructions 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and prepare an 8x4" loaf pan* with a natural cooking spray.
  • Whisk all dry ingredients, flour through all spice, in a medium bowl and set aside.
  • *Use a stand or hand-held mixer to beat eggs on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  • Mix in vanilla, banana and honey until combined.
  • Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Gently fold in rhubarb. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50-55 minutes, or until loaf is golden and a toothpick comes out clean.
  • Cool bread in pan for 10 minutes. Loosen sides with a knife and remove from pan.

Notes

  • An 8x4" loaf pan is slightly smaller than the typical 9x5" loaf pan.
  • Alternatively, this recipe could be used to make muffins. I'm not sure how many it would make and cook time should be shortened to about 20-25 minutes.
  • Alternatively, you can beat and mix by hand. However, I find it easier to use my stand mixer.
Serving: 1slice, Calories: 113kcal, Carbohydrates: 23g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 1g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 196mg, Potassium: 157mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 58IU, Vitamin C: 5mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 1mg

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Nutrition Facts  12 Servings

Calories-100.5  Total Fat-o.3 g  Cholesterol-0.0 mg  Sodium-1.0 mg  Potassium-104.1 mg  Total Carbohydrate-23.4 g   

Dietary Fiber-2.7 g  Sugars-9.4 g  Protein-1.8

Whole wheat rhubarb banana bread is made healthier with no refined sugar, butter or oil, but so soft and tender that you’d never be able to tell! The rhubarb adds a nice tart flavor, while the banana balances out the tart with a lovely sweetness.

Something to think about…

Have you ever tried rhubarb? If so, how was it prepared? Are you a fan?

Have you ever tried ripening a banana in the oven? This would be great for smoothies… ripen the banana and then freeze it. Just be sure to peel it before freezing it.

What’s the last kind of bread you baked?

Have an awesome Thursday!

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