Vegan Date and Banana Bread

​Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50-60 minutes
Yield: 1 loaf (approx. 8-10 slices)

​Ingredients
​- 4 medium ripe bananas, mashed (frozen and thawed bananas work perfectly too)
​- ⅓ cup melted coconut oil (or neutral vegetable oil)
​- ¼ cup brown sugar (adjusts the texture and adds a rich caramel flavor)
​- 1 tsp vanilla extract
​- 2 cups self-raising flour (or 2 cups plain flour plus 3 tsp baking powder)
​- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
​- ½ tsp salt
​- ½ cup pitted dates, chopped into small pieces

​Method
- Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced). 

- Grease a standard loaf pan and line it with baking paper, leaving a bit of overhang on the sides so you can easily lift the loaf out later.
- ​In a large mixing bowl, thoroughly mash the 4 bananas with a fork until mostly smooth. 

- Pour in the melted coconut oil, brown sugar, and vanilla extract. 

- Whisk the wet ingredients together until the sugar begins to dissolve and the mixture is well combined.
- Sift the flour, ground cinnamon, and salt directly into the bowl with the wet ingredients. 

- Using a wooden spoon or spatula, fold the mixture together just until the flour disappears. 

- Be careful not to overmix, as this can make the bread dense. 

- Fold in the chopped dates until they are evenly distributed through the batter.
- Spoon the batter into your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with your spatula. 

- Bake in the preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes. 

- The banana bread is done when a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. 

- Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then use the baking paper handles to lift it onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.