Fresh Milled Banana Bread
Prep
15 min
Bake
60 min
Total time
1 hr 15 min
Fresh milled banana bread is a soft, moist whole-grain quick bread that uses ripe bananas and freshly milled wheat for natural sweetness and a tender crumb.
Key Takeaways
- Use very ripe, heavily spotted bananas for the best flavor and moisture.
- Mill on the finest setting and let the batter rest 10 minutes.
- Don\u2019t overmix — stir until just combined to keep the crumb tender.
- Tent with foil after 35 minutes if the top browns too quickly.
About this recipe
Moist, deeply flavored banana bread made with 100% freshly milled wheat. Yields one 9x5 loaf (about 10 slices). Prep 15 min, bake 55–65 min, rest 15 min in pan plus 30 min on rack before slicing.
Ingredients
- freshly milled hard white wheat flour240 g (about 2 cups)
- baking soda5 g (1 tsp)
- baking powder2 g (1/2 tsp)
- fine sea salt3 g (1/2 tsp)
- ground cinnamon3 g (1 tsp)
- very ripe bananas, mashed360 g (about 3 large)
- brown sugar150 g (3/4 cup packed)
- large eggs2
- melted butter or neutral oil110 g (1/2 cup)
- plain yogurt or sour cream60 g (1/4 cup)
- vanilla extract5 g (1 tsp)
- chopped walnuts (optional)75 g (3/4 cup)
Instructions
- 1
Heat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment.
- 2
Mill the wheat on the finest setting. Whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- 3
In a large bowl, mash bananas, then whisk in brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, yogurt, and vanilla until smooth.
- 4
Add the dry ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Fold in walnuts if using.
- 5
Let the batter rest 10 minutes — this softens the bran for a more tender crumb.
- 6
Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the top.
- 7
Bake 55–65 minutes, tenting with foil at 35 minutes if browning too quickly. The loaf is done when a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs and the internal temperature reads 200–205°F.
- 8
Cool 15 minutes in the pan, then lift out and cool at least 30 minutes on a rack before slicing. Store wrapped at room temperature 3 days, refrigerate up to 1 week, or freeze sliced up to 3 months.
how to start milling flour at home — hydration, gluten development, and grain choice tips that make this recipe work.
Learn about this grain: Spelt guide — flavor, milling notes, baking tips, and four in-depth guides on hydration, storage, and common mistakes. Or browse more Spelt recipes.
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Related Content
Recommended Grains
Related Techniques
How to Increase Hydration Successfully
Raise water in 5% increments, autolyse longer, and lean on stretch and folds instead of kneading.
How to Sift Fresh Milled Flour
Pass freshly milled flour through a 50 or 60 mesh sieve. Reserve the bran for porridge or rebake it in.
Related Troubleshooting
Why is the crumb of my bread gummy?
Cut crumb feels sticky or doughy in the center.
How much water do I add to fresh milled flour?
Bakers new to fresh milled flour struggle to translate commercial-flour hydration to whole-grain dough.
Why is my fresh milled bread dense?
Loaves baked with fresh milled flour come out heavy, tight, and barely risen instead of light and airy.
Why is my crumb too tight and dense?
Bread with a uniformly tight, small-holed crumb rather than the open, airy structure you wanted.
Why is my crust too pale?
A loaf that finishes baking with a soft, blond crust instead of a deep golden or mahogany color.
Related Conversions
Store Whole Wheat to Fresh Milled Flour
Store-bought whole wheat is often months old and has lost volatile flavor compounds. Fresh milled tastes brighter and rises better with the same recipe.
All-Purpose Flour to Fresh Milled Flour
This is the general principle: all-purpose is refined endosperm, fresh milled flour is the whole kernel, so it drinks more water and ferments 10–20% faster. The swap is 1:1 by weight in every case; only the water changes. Which grain you mill decides how much. Hard white wheat is the closest analog to all-purpose and the numbers on this page follow it — for the detailed, per-bake breakdown use All-Purpose to Hard White Wheat. If you want more flavor and can accept a darker crumb, All-Purpose to Hard Red Wheat runs +7–10% instead.