Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread
I’m the girl that will stone-cold stare a banana into ripeness just so I can make banana bread.
Banana bread is just one of those things this girl has a crush on…. along with boys who open doors for me, handwritten letters, and kitten figurines.
This is how banana bread always starts… after a bowl of stale popcorn for breakfast and hot hot coffee. I’m living right. Obvi.
Two bowls. A whisk. Overripe bananas. Two loaf pans…
You have all this stuff, right?
Banana bread is so simple, so delicious, and it makes my house smell like life success. It makes me feel like I’m living right. It makes me hope I get to be 80 years old making this bread for the people I love. I’ll have wrinkled Grandma hands. I’m into it.
Let’s talk about millet. Millet is a gluten free seed. Yea… a seed.
Millet is used a lot in bird food… but it’s a totally healthy ingredient to throw into non bird related food. There’s calcium, fiber, B vitamins, and it’s easy to digest! It’s a good time food. On the real.
I added raw millet to the banana bread batter. Ps. I should have rinsed it. You should rinse yours. Does it cook completely when baked? Nope!.. and that’s the beauty of it! The millet stays slightly crunchy. It’s like having lots of walnut bits in your bread… without the walnut bits. It’s a really lovely and crunchy addition to this moist and flavorful bread.
Whole Wheat and Millet Banana Bread
makes 2 8×4-inch loaves
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
4 medium bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup raw millet, rinsed
Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans and set aside.
In a medium bowl, whisk together butter, oil, sugars, and eggs. Beat until thoroughly incorporated. Whisk in the vanilla, buttermilk, and mashed bananas. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flours, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. Stir in millet. Create a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Carefully pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients. Use a spatula to fold the batter together.
Divide the batter between the two prepared baking pans. Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely. Banana bread will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to five days.
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So that’s the secret to riping a banana!
Good tasting bird food? Oh yes please. I too can frighten a banana into bruised ripeness. Cruelty to bananas but all in a good cause.
How do you do it?! Everytime I read you I have the urge to run to the kitchen. And yes, I’ve got all this stuff in the kitchen right now.
it’s the sparkle magic of butter and sugar.
GLORIOUS!
Joy, could I use quinoa instead of millet?
um….. quinoa!? i’m really not sure… i haven’t tried this with quinoa.
What a fantastic idea. I’m going to have to try this with my next batch of banana bread.
Oh how I love banana bread. I haven’t had it in ages because bananas in aus bananas are soo expensive at the moment! It’s become a national joke that if you can afford bananas you must be rich :)
Interesting use of millet. In Taiwan, millet is used for porridge, as a staple. Unfortunately, over here in Singapore, millet is almost unheard of and is only available in specialty stores.
A good food time. On the real. <–I love this.
"Banana bread is just one of those things this girl has a crush on…. along with boys who open doors for me, handwritten letters,…" <— do those things really EXIST anymore??! Gosh, please LMK if you find out who these extra terrestial creatures are who open doors and write notes by hand. They could educate our society!
And this bird food turned into bread is the most beautiful thing Ive seen in ages.
Stunning, Joy :)
This looks super yummy! Here is a tip- if your bananas are not ripe enough for bananabread (ie, overripe) stick them in the freezer for a day, then take them out and thaw them. BAM! No need for a staring competition. My mom does this, and her bananabread is, um, bananas.
I love the addition of millet to this recipe. I’m going to pick some up later this week to try with the banana bread I was already planning to make. Great timing, Joy!
“Stone-cold stare a banana just so it will ripen.” ROFL!
I’ll have to try the millet next time. Love the way the house smells while baking banana bread.
P.S. You’re going to be a really cool grandma, Joy!
I do the same same. I stare at bananas, then freeze them, then defrost, then bake with them. I’m weird that way. I also buy overtly ripe bananas for the same reason.
mmmmmillet – i bet the texture is lovely!
Looks delicious! I just might have to venture into the millet-eating world for this recipe.
I imagine the millet to be like over sized yellow poppy seeds! I wonder what type of nail polish will best suite your grandma hands?
ps- love the font on this post!
totally oversized poppy seeds! and my grandma hands will have that opal pearlescent stuff on the nails. for sure.
Looks so lovely!