A good no-cook trail breakfast is like gold – super precious, yet hard to find. Today, I have a simple tried and tested backpacking recipe to share: Trail Banana Bread.
I have a bad habit of buying bananas every single time I go grocery shopping, and I usually have more ripe bananas than I need! I make this bread often for home and either dehydrate or freeze my extra.
Each serving is approximately 500 to 550 calories, though eat as much as you need to feel fueled since you will cut the slices into small squares!
This is an easy, no fuss recipe that is as delicious on the trail as it is at home.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter and flour a 9”x5” loaf pan
Step 2: Mix the butter and sugar together until evenly combined. Add in the eggs and optional almond or vanilla extract. Again, mix until evenly combined. Next, mix in your dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking soda) slowly and in intervals, making sure the batter is smooth before adding in more. Once combined, mix in your yogurt, pecans or walnuts, and your flax seed.
Step 3: Pour batter into your greased loaf pan. When the batter has settled, sprinkle your shredded coconut on top and gently tap the loaf pan on the counter to have the coconut settle. (I suggest 2 tbsp; add as much, as little or skip altogether.)
Step 4: Bake for approximately 60 to 75 minutes. If the coconut begins to become too golden, cover with foil until a toothpick inserted into the loaf comes out clean.
Step 5: Let the bread cool for ~ 20 minutes before gently removing from the loaf pan. When the bread is completely cool to the touch (I suggest waiting several hours), slice into ½ to 1” thick slices. (NOTE! The thicker the slice, the harder it will be to bite and you will need to use your back teeth. ½” to ¾” is the ideal thickness.) Next, take the ½” slices and cut them in half (if they are 5” wide, after you cut, they should be 2.5” wide). This should leave you with almost square slices.
Step 6: Place in your dehydrator at 125” and dry until no moisture is left. I let my dehydrator run overnight, so I’ve never timed this (sorry!) If you dry in the oven, be very careful to not burn the bread.
Step 7: Place in a bag and enjoy on the trail!
This recipe yields approximately 8 total servings and the nutrition label is based on that. Multiply the below values by 8 to get nutrition for the entire loaf and divide by your # of servings if different!
This breakfast fills me up and gives me tons of energy to attack the trail! If you make this recipe, share with us on Instagram where you’ve eaten it #fuelyourwild
~ Deana
