Freshly Milled Flour Banana Bread

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This freshly milled flour banana bread is made with a 50/50 blend of hard white and soft white wheat, overripe bananas, and a third cup of sour cream that keeps every slice moist and tender from crust to center.

Prep Time10

Cook Time50

Total Time1

Course: Breakfast, Freshly Milled Flour, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 9x5 loaf

Calories: 3605kcal

Author: Emily Rider

Equipment

1 Large mixing bowl
1 Medium Mixing Bowl
1 stand mixer or hand beaters
1 9x5 inch loaf pan
1 Whisk
1 Wire Cooling Rack
1 Grain Mill

Ingredients

The Dry Ingredients

1 cup hard white wheat freshly milled, 120 grams
1 cup soft white wheat freshly milled, 120 grams
1 teaspoon baking soda 6 grams
½ teaspoon salt 3 grams

The Wet Ingredients

½ cup salted butter 113 grams (softened)
½ cup brown sugar 100 grams (packed)
¼ cup granulated sugar 50 grams
2 large eggs 100 grams (room temperature)
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract 7 milliliters
1½ to 2 cups overripe bananas 340 to 450 grams (mashed, about 3 medium bananas)
⅓ cup sour cream or plain yogurt 80 grams
1 tablespoon maple syrup 15 milliliters (optional)

Optional Add Ins

½ cup roasted pecans or walnuts 57 grams (roughly chopped, frozen nuts work fine)
½ cup chocolate chips 85 grams

Instructions

Preheat and prepare the pan – set the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan generously with butter or line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both long sides for easy lifting once the loaf has cooled.
Whisk the dry ingredients – combine the freshly milled hard white wheat, soft white wheat, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until evenly blended with no streaks.
Cream the butter and sugars – beat the softened butter with the brown sugar and granulated sugar in a separate large bowl using a stand mixer or hand beaters for two to three minutes until the mixture is pale, fluffy, and noticeably lighter in color. This step builds the structure that keeps the crumb tender through the full bake.
Add the eggs – beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated before adding the next.
Stir in the bananas and maple syrup – add the mashed bananas (if using frozen, drain off excess liquid) and maple syrup to the creamed butter and sugars and stir until fully blended.
Fold in the sour cream – stir in the sour cream or yogurt until the batter is smooth and evenly combined.
Add the dry ingredients – add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until the streaks just disappear. Stop the moment the batter comes together.
Fold in the add-ins – if using chocolate chips, roasted pecans, or walnuts, fold them in now with a few gentle stirs.
Fill the pan and rest the batter – pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Let the filled pan rest at room temperature for ten to fifteen minutes before placing it in the oven. This rest is what prevents a grainy crumb in the finished loaf.
Bake – place on the center rack of the oven and bake at 350°F for 50 to 60 minutes, tenting loosely with foil at the 25-35-minute mark if the top is browning faster than the center is setting. The loaf is done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
Cool and serve – let the loaf rest in the pan for ten minutes before placing onto a wire rack to cool completely. Transfer to a cutting board, slice with a serrated knife, and serve with softened butter or a swipe of cream cheese.

Notes

FMF self-rising blend shortcut – use 2 cups (240 grams) of your freshly milled self-rising flour blend in place of the hard white and soft white wheat and omit the baking soda and salt. Everything else stays the same.

All-purpose flour swap – all-purpose flour works in place of the freshly milled blend at the same 2-cup measurement. Reduce the butter to ¼ cup (half a stick) since all-purpose flour absorbs less liquid.

Overripe bananas – the darker the peel, the sweeter and more flavorful the loaf. Frozen bananas that have been fully thawed and drained work just as well and are often even more flavorful than fresh.

Doneness – every oven bakes differently. Start checking at 50 minutes with a thermometer and pull the loaf when the center reads 190°F to 205°F for a fully set, moist crumb.

Nutrition