Banana Walnut Yeast Bread (Bread Machine)

Smelling the nutty-spicy-sweet aroma of banana bread as it bakes is an absolute delight for the nose.  Traditional banana bread is typically high in sugar and fat with a delicate crumb, putting it in the "treat food" category.  But this yeasted banana bread gives you the best of both worlds—BB's signature taste and smell + a healthy ingredient profile! My yeasted BB can be eaten plain, as toast, or as a sandwich.  Talk about versatility!

FYI: bread machines can be found at thrift stores.  A friend recently bought a Panasonic model—same as mine— for only $8.  A bread machine kneads and bakes the bread and allows you to enjoy flavors you'd never find anywhere else like fluffy pumpkin, pumpkin sour cream, or brioche.

One of my favorite places in downtown San Luis Obispo is our relatively new cheese shop, called Fromagerie Sophie.  Stepping through the golden door with a hanging ouvert placard transports you to Paris — French music, fresh baguettes, and a variety of French imports all add to the ambience.

On one of my visits to FS, their Fig and Walnuts Confit (aka jam) caught my eye. When I saw that it was "ideal for goat cheese," I decided to buy it to for making a superb sandwich featuring goat cheese + fig confit + arugula + tempeh.  Textural variety is important, so I added cucumber for crunch since tempeh is soft and slightly chewy.  Red onion was too overpowering.

I avoid processed meats because of their high sodium content and the fact that studies have found preservatives in deli meats to be carcinogenic.  I recently decided to try tempeh to add a new type of fermented food to my diet.  Tempeh is a convenient alternative to tofu because it has a sturdier texture, making it more ideal for sandwiches.  Unlike tofu's bland nature, tempeh has its own nutty-earthy flavor, so it can be enjoyed plain.

Preparing Tempeh Tip:

 Steaming before using takes off the bitter edge.  I break the cake in half, stack, and then place on top of a grain to steam during the last 10 minutes of the grain's cooking process. 

Nutrition Highlight: Tempeh (TEM-pay)

More digestible than tofu

Because tempeh is fermented, it's easier to digest since the bacteria have already started breaking down carbohydrates like cellulose prior to human consumption.

Naturally enriched
Fermentation increases bioavailability of nutrients and can even add certain vitamins to food.  In tempeh, bacteria K. pneumoniae produce B12 during fermentation, making tempeh a B12 anomaly, since it's typically found only in animal products.  Tempeh isn't a stellar source of B12, but the RDA for B12 is small to begin with, so every microgram counts.

Longer shelf life
We all have plenty on our minds, so it's nice knowing that once opened, tempeh can hang out in the fridge for a bit since it's fermented.  It's advised to use tempeh within 5 days after opening, but I imagine that an extra day or two wouldn't hurt due to the beneficial bacteria.  

Another idea: goat cheese + a drizzle of fig balsamic.  

Making this bread prompted me to indulge in a 1/8 lb. wedge of Tomme Perigourdin Affinée from Fromagerie Sophie and a bottle of a wonderful fig vinegar from We Olive.  Panacea's fig balsamic is aerated, giving it a wonderful viscosity similar to an ultra-aged balsamic; the figs are left throughout the entire reduction process, so it has a very pronounced figgy flavor.  The other fig balsamic at We Olive was very different in every way possible, so I highly recommend sampling vinegars before buying.

Since this combo really allows you to focus on the flavors of the cheese and balsamic, it's worth it to use artisanal goat cheese.  

Look closely and you'll see that the rind looks just like a human brain! Though the prices at FS are a bit steep, you can buy as little as 1/8 lb. which is great for someone like me who doesn't go through cheese quickly, but likes to try new flavors.

Banana Walnut Yeasted Bread 
Printable Recipe

Since I love to experiment, I've made quite a few loaves of this banana bread.  I've varied the amount of flaxseed and have found 2 T to be just perfect.  Yogurt makes the bread rise higher; buttermilk doesn't affect rise and provides a slightly spongy texture; water doesn't affect rise and is a little fluffier than buttermilk.  Cinnamon is noticeably more pungent than nutmeg and pumpkin pie spice.

This recipe is for a 1 lb. bread machine.  Keep yeast separate from wet ingredients if you don't have a yeast release feature.


1 1/2c white whole wheat flour
2/3 c white flour
2 T ground flaxseed
1 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp canola oil
1/2 tsp nutmeg (can sub. pp spice or cinnamon, nutmeg is best though)
7 oz really ripe banana flesh (2 medium-small, or 3/4 c mashed)
1/2 c yogurt (rises higher)
or 
1/2 c water
2 oz (1/2 c) toasted walnuts (ESSENTIAL)
1 tsp yeast

How to make the most of your loaf:

• Make toast and spread on some fig jam, butter, or coconut oil.
• Enjoy with a schmear of goat cheese and drizzle of fig vinegar. Also delish with a microwaved egg for added substance. 
• Eat as toast with a salad of arugula, goat cheese, and fig vinegar.
• Create a Figgy Fig sandwich: spread goat cheese on both slices of bread, swirl in some fig jam or drizzle fig vinegar, add cucumber, tempeh, arugula.  Plain tempeh's earthiness works very well with these flavors, so it's not necessary to marinate, which cuts down on work.