Whole Wheat Banana Applesauce Oat Bread

The name of this bread may be quite the mouthful to say, but this slightly sweet, hearty bread is definitely a delicious mouthful to eat.
Healthy versions of classic treats or desserts are risky.  People come in expecting a sweet, traditional bite and when that is not what they get, they may be disappointed.  So don't expect a traditional banana bread to come out of the oven as a result of baking up this delicious loaf...but expect something tasty nonetheless.
I loved this bread and love the heartiness and the fact that it was not too sweet.  The riper the bananas, the sweeter the bread...because there is no added sugar in the bread!

This recipe makes 1, 9"5" loaf of bread.

 1 (+ a little bit more...just fill the measuring cup a little over the top) C ripe, mashed bananas
1/3 C honey
1/3 C unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
3/4 C milk (I use 2%)
1 1/2 C whole wheat flour (or for a slightly lighter loaf, use 1 C whole wheat and 1/2 C all-purpose flour)
1 C rolled oats
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350.
Lightly grease a 9"x5" bread pan.
Mix together the bananas, honey, applesauce, vanilla, egg, and milk in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
Combine the wet and dry ingredients but be careful not to over mix them or your bread will be tough.
Pour the batter into the pan and cook for 50-70 minutes (until a toothpick comes out of the center of the loaf mostly clean (no "wet" batter attached but a few crumbs are ok).
Remove the bread from the oven and let it cool in the pan for 3-5 minutes.
Let the bread finish cooling on a wire rack before you slice into it.

This recipe is adapted from www.ambitiouskitchen.com.