Recently, when I was home visiting my parents my dad asked me to make one of his all-time favorite baked goods…banana bread. I happily agreed, who doesn’t love banana bread?

Before I started, I was trying to think of ways to make mine different but still keep it close to the kind of banana bread that my dad knows and loves.

I did a little research on recipes and read that a lot of people like to add nuts such as cashews, macadamia nuts, pecans, and walnuts.

I also read of people adding chocolate chips, peanut butter, dried fruit and frosting. All that sounded good to me, but I knew my dad wouldn’t want anything to get in the way of the banana flavor.

I decided to go with a little of orange zest, brown sugar, spices, and whole wheat flour for a heartier version of banana bread.

This turned out to be a crowd pleaser. Very similar to the classic banana bread recipe with an added orange aroma, and a bit of a caramel-y flavor. The whole wheat flour also gives the bread a wonderful texture. [Read more...]