Banana bread, like Zucchini Bread, is basically an excuse to eat cake for breakfast. Because of the addition of fruit, a slice of this bread can be justified at any time of day.

I completely overlooked this article about Julia’s Banana Bread in the March issue of Bon Appétit until I saw it pop up on fellow hapa foodie Erica’s blog Cannella Vita. After reading her post, I rummaged through the magazine and read the article and was convinced to attempt the recipe.

My family is from Maui and the first time we visited Hawai’i we made the trek down the road to Hana. I remember seeing this green shack, but didn’t know that it hid delicious treats. Next time I go to Maui (for my honeymoon!), I’ll be sure to stop by Julia’s to try some banana bread. My hometown, Pai’a, is the “last stop” on the way to Hana, so I have absolutely no excuse.

This banana bread is a great slice of comfort in the cold, chilly mornings of Winter (when the recipe was originally posted in Bon Appétit), but it works equally as well on the sticky summer days we’ve been having recently.

I sprinkled the top of the bread with some raw sugar I picked up the last time I was in Hawai’i and added in some whole wheat flour to boost the healthiness so that it’s even easier to justify that second slice. The bread looks even more inviting on this tie-died, honu printed sarong I picked up from Pai’a when we were there last.

This post is part of “Magazine Mondays“, an informal round-up of recipes reproduced from magazines, hosted by Cream Puffs in Venice.

Julia's Banana Bread

By nicole Published: August 13, 2013

• Yield: 1 loaf
• Prep: 10 mins
• Cook: 60 mins
• Ready In: 1 hr 20 mins

The original recipe, by Julia's Banana Bread Treehouse in Kahakuloa, can be found at Bon Appétit.

Ingredients

• nonstick vegetable oil spray
• 1¾ cups whole wheat flour
• 1½ teaspoons baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1½ cups sugar
• 1 cup bananas mashed, ripe (~2)
• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• raw Hawai'ian sugar optional

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Coat a 1.5 lb loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth.
3. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top. Sprinkle with raw sugar for extra crunch (optional).
4. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 60-70 minutes. If you decide to bake it in the smaller and more common 1lb sized pan, lower the temperature so that the bottom doesn't get overcooked (like mine did!)
5. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely.

• Cuisine: Hawaiian