If you are a cyclist, you must know that a good energy boost is crucial for a good performance, but also that not all kinds and formats work the same way. In our Siroko blog post section, you will find many different types of homemade recipes for energy bars, gels and all kinds of superfoods you can bring with you and eat comfortably while on the road. In this particular post, we’re ready to pick up the baking tray again to make this easy, succulent banana bread, packed with carbohydrates, slightly sweet and highly nutritious, ideal as a snack before or after a ride. Let’s get started with this quick, delicious recipe!
Ingredients:
- 100 g of oats
- 150 g of regular flour
- 1 sachet of baking powder
- Cinnamon to taste
- 3 large bananas: 2 for the dough and 1 as topping
- 2 medium eggs
- 1 tablespoon of honey (you can replace this with a different type of sweetener or a couple of pitted dates)
- Milk (only to thin the mixture a little if necessary)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 160 ºC using the upper and lower heating mode.
- Line a loaf pan with parchment paper or use a silicone mold.
- Mash two bananas in a large bowl.
- Add the eggs and honey and mix until well combined.
- In a second bowl, mix the oats, flour, baking powder and cinnamon.
- Pour the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
- Stir both mixtures together until you get a smooth, uniform dough.
- Add a splash of milk if you find the dough too thick, to prevent the bread from having a dry consistency when baked. The resulting texture of the bread should be soft and juicy.
- Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, and cut the extra banana into slices to use them as topping.
- Bake for 40 minutes at 160 ºC.
- 35 minutes in, use a toothpick or thin knife to poke the bread and make sure it is cooked all the way through. If it comes out clean, the bread is done, and if there’s still some raw dough sticking to it, cook it for a bit longer.
- To prevent the bread from burning on top when it needs more baking time, cover it with tin foil and turn down the heat a little.
Nutrition facts:
Calories: 1527 kcal
Carbohydrates: 286 g
Proteins: 43 g
Fat: 19 g
Cut it into 10 portions and you’ll get 152 kcal per portion and 28 g of carbohydrates, which is more or less the equivalent of a 40 g energy bar. The good thing about this recipe is that the total cost of the ingredients and baking time results in 10 portions of bread for around €3, and no energy bars can beat this.
Plus, this versatile recipe allows you to improvise by adding some vanilla extract or cocoa powder to the mixture, while having fun baking with your friends, your family or your kids. You can also add berries, dark chocolate chunks, chopped nuts, peanut butter…The shape or format is also quite versatile, as you can make a whole loaf, use individual molds to make muffins, or use a sheet pan and cut the bread into bars. Use your preferred method to have small portions of this banana bread you can carry in the pocket of your cycling jersey.
