Lindsay Maitland Hunt, author of the cookbook Healthyish (no relation to our site!), writes: "I absolutely LOVE banana bread, but so often it’s as sweet as a cake and too oily. That’s good for special occasions, but for weekday mornings, I want a slice that feels mostly wholesome. That’s the 'ish' in Healthyish."
Healthyish by Lindsay Maitland Hunt, published by ABRAMS (c) 2017.
Ingredients
Makes one 8½×4½" loaf
½
1½
⅔
¼
¼
2
½
1
2
1
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350º. Oil and flour an 8½x4½" baking pan. Mix 1 Tbsp. sugar, 2 tsp. poppy seeds, and 2 tsp. sesame seeds in a small bowl; set aside.
Step 2
Whisk baking powder, salt, and remaining 1½ cups flour, ¼ cup poppy seeds, and ¼ cup sesame seeds in a medium bowl.
Step 3
Whisk banana, eggs, vanilla, and remaining ⅔ cup sugar and ½ cup oil in a large bowl. Fold in dry ingredients until just combined. Stir in pecans. Scrape batter into prepared pan; smooth top. Sprinkle reserved poppy-sesame-sugar mixture evenly over.
Step 4
Bake bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few crumbs attached, 50–60 minutes. Let cool in pan 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. If you feel comfortable, carefully invert loaf over sink to catch any loose seeds and sugar.
Step 5
Do Ahead: Bread can be baked 3 days ahead. Wrap tightly in plastic and store at room temperature.
Leave a Review
Reviews (12)
Back to TopIt's a great recipe when the sugar is cut in half, and unhulled sesame seeds are used. It certainly isn't improved by following the unfortunate "coat everything in sugar" trend, that's afflicted scones, cookies etc, and degraded their taste.
Anonymous
the west, not the coast
1/14/2024
My go-to banana bread. The high amount of poppy and sesame seeds in the batter is what makes this cake so good. I sometimes add a tablespoon of flax seeds as well. Instead of regular whole wheat flour, I use whole wheat pastry flour, which lends a delicate, light crumb. I also use sparkling sugar instead of regular sugar for the top and that creates a nice texture. Don't skip the pecans!
give_me_a_banana
northeast, usa
1/7/2024
I love this recipe! It is so much more interesting than your standard banana bread! A couple notes, you will need about 1.75-2 oz each of sesame and poppy seeds (I accidentally bought twice as much, so I will probably be making this again in the near future). Also, I thought it wasn't quite sweet enough and drizzled honey on top, but my parents both thought it was plenty sweet and ate it just as is. Bakes beautifully, mine looked almost exactly like the picture.
Anonymous
Pittsburgh, PA
6/29/2021
Agree w/ MHARPER4 in that this is also the best banana bread I've possibly had E V E R. It's a huge hit w/ friends and family I've shared this with. I've definitely come back to this recipe a few times and love it still.
godsylla
Los Angeles, CA
4/6/2021
I followed the recipe to a T and my loaf came out of the oven hearty and colored a gorgeous dark brown. The bread is dense, which makes just one or two slices enough for breakfast. The bread is dry for banana bread, but still plenty moist. It would go great in a bowl with some milk if you prefer a more moist slice. The seeds inside and the crust on top add a crunch to make the bread feel less cake-y and the lessened sweetness is perfect for making the banana more than just an ingredient for sugar. You can really appreciate the subtle banana flavor in this bread alongside the toasted nuts and seeds. While I love the lowered sugar, my mom put jam on hers to boost the sweetness of the bread. All around great, simple recipe that provides a quick breakfast for days ahead.
adeline2000
Harrisonburg, VA
6/18/2020
This is the best banana bread I’ve made possibly ever. I’m preg so I’ve been looking for nutritious baked goods to eat quickly in the morning and this is a winner. I used coconut oil because I love it in quick-breads and chia seeds instead of poppy because that’s what I had. I don’t normally like nuts in banana bread but toasted pecans really make this great. WILL make again!
Mharper4
Raleigh, NC
1/11/2020
Loved this, the perfect match with coffee for a not-too-sweet breakfast. It's also very customizable: I did a mixture of chia, flax, and sesame seeds and used chopped roasted cashews since I didn't have any pecans. The result was just as delicious.
Anonymous
Berlin, Germany
11/1/2019
What can I use instead of 2 eggs here? Are the eggs being used to rise the bread or texture?
Anonymous
India
2/28/2019
Great texture between the poppy seed crunch and the meatiness of the pecans. Not too sweet and still a great breakfast/snack treat.
Chicago
1/30/2019