Healthier Banana Bread

*In a small bowl, combine flours, baking soda, and salt–set aside.

In a large bowl, mash the bananas. I use my Kitchen Aid stand mixer with the paddle attachment.

Add butter and applesauce and mix together.

*Add sugar and cinnamon, mix, then add eggs one at a time.

*Now gently add your flours and stir. You can use a spatula or wooden spoon for this step if you are worried about overmixing. Stir until just combined–you don’t want your bread to be tough.

*Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for 55-60 minutes or until center is baked.

*A common complaint about quick breads is that the centers are still raw while the sides are overdone, which is most often caused by an oven that is too hot. If it happens, you can tent some foil over the top until the center is done. Another cause of a raw middle is a pan that is too small. Make sure your loaf pan is large enough–if you are unsure, make 2! A crack down the middle of the bread is perfectly normal.

*Let cool for 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack and then turn out.

*Banana bread is better is wrapped overnight and eaten the next day. But who does that?? We love our banana bread hot from the oven and smothered in butter.