From Selma Zuckerman

I got many thumbs up for this banana bread, which I made lower fat and just as tasty by substituting half of the butter for applesauce, and using non-fat yogurt instead of buttermilk or sour cream.

Butter or vegetable cooking spray, for greasing the pan

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

3 cups flour, plus extra for flouring the pan (I used white wheat flour)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

1/3 cup (5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon) butter, at room temperature

1/3 cup applesauce

1 1/3 cups sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

yolk of 1 large egg, at room temperature *save the white for breakfast!

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (3 medium-sized bananas) *I think I used two, and it was just fine.

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/3 cup yogurt

3/4 chopped pecans or walnuts

3/4 raisins *I used chocolate chips.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease and flour a large 10 inch loaf pan.

2. Sift the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a medium-size bowl. Set it aside.

3. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light, about 2 minutes. Add the egg and egg yolk, one at a time, beating well and scraping the bowl down after each addition. Blend in the mashed bananas and vanilla extract.Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the yogurt and applesauce in two additions, beginning and ending with the flour mixtures. Stir in the nuts and chocolate chips or raisins if using.

4. Transfer the mixture to the prepared loaf pan and bake until it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 1/4 hours (mine took less, so check often).

5. Transfer the pan to a wire rack, and cool for 10 minutes. Loosen the loaf by running a knife around the edges, remove it from the pan, and transfer it to the rack to cool completely.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

With your support, we’ll be ready for whatever 2025 brings.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount