In anticipation to Teacher Appreciation Day next week on May 6, what better way to celebrate than with this recipe for Banana Apple Bread? Teachers love apples, and so it would only make sense to combine them with the awesome power of bananas in a bread form. Soft and incredibly tasty, this homemade bread recipe will be so good your teacher might not share with the class. 

Banana Apple Bread

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup butter, melted
• 2 cups white sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 apples, cubed
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons butter, softened banana slices for garnish

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two 7×3-inch loaf pans.
2. In a bowl, whisk together 2 3/4 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, the baking soda, and salt until thoroughly combined. In a separate mixing bowl, beat the melted butter with 2 cups of sugar until smooth, and mix in the eggs, one at a time, followed by the Greek yogurt and vanilla extract. Stir in the flour mixture just until incorporated.
3. Fold in the bananas, apples, and chopped walnuts until combined; do not overmix. There should be small chunks of banana visible in the batter. Pour half the batter into each prepared loaf pan.
4. Mix the brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, 1 tablespoon of cinnamon, 1/4 cup of flour, and 3 tablespoons of softened butter together in a bowl until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle half the crumb topping over each loaf. Garnish each loaf with banana and apple slices.
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then remove and cover each pan with aluminum foil. Return to oven, and bake an additional 15 or 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaves comes out clean. Allow to cool before serving.

Look out for new recipes on Organic Odes every Friday!