Hawai'ian Philosophers' Vegan Banana Nut Bread

Here is an original bread recipe that turned out fantastic, so I had to share it. This isn't a “dessert” like banana nut breads you may be used to—this is really a full-bodied but delicious whole wheat bread that is just slightly sweet but mostly from the currants and raisins. I use mostly organic ingredients, but that doesn't change the taste, I'm sure.

Go easy on it, though; I figure this recipe makes 12 slices of bread (¾ inch thick); if so, each slice has about 250 calories, 7.5 grams of fat and 5 grams of protein. I'll try it without the oil next week (I bake bread once a week) and let you know how it turns out (that would reduce each slice by 40 calories and the fat by 4.5 grams per slice). Since this turned out well and is not something I need to eat an entire loaf of this week, I'll be talking ¾ of it to a philosophy colloquium today--hence, I christened it "Philosopher's Vegan Banana Yeast Bread."

3 ½ Cups Organic Whole Wheat Unbleached Flour
3 Overripe Organic Bananas
¼ Cup Organic Currants
¼ Cup Organic Raisins
¼ Cup Raw Unsalted Macadamias
¼ Cup Molasses
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2/3 to 1 cup of warm filtered water
2 ½ teaspoons active yeast dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water

Mix everything together—a non-stick bowl works great
Mix until it begins “sticking together” and knead for 3-5 minutes
Transfer to a 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” baking pan
Let sit in bowl after needed about 1 hour until it has risen about ½ again as large as it was
Transfer to lightly oiled or non-stick baking pan and let rise an additional 30 minutes to an hour, until it has crested over the top of the pan
Lightly rub about 1 teaspoon or less of molasses over the top and sprinkle with whole oats
Put in a PREHEATED oven at 350 degrees
Bake for 45-50 minutes or until cooked all the way through. When the top appears done in the middle, you can take it out, remove it, and cut it in two. If the middle is still gooey and sticks to a toothpick, then bake longer. Note, however, that the inside of this bread will remain slightly gummy until it cools.

Calorie Breakdown of Ingredients: 1540 Whole Wheat Flour, 230 Molasses, 240 Macadamias, 300 Bananas, 130 Raisins, 100 Currents, 480 Oil