I spy a lone, random, overripe banana on your counter… which is perfect for this healthy pan-fried bread recipe! Made on the stovetop, all you’ll need for this Fat Free Banana Bread is 3 ingredients and and a frying pan. Bon appetit!

{Low Fat, Low Calorie, Small Batch, 3 ingredient, dairy-Free, no-bake, vegan}

Before we begin…

Can I just say WHAT THE HECK! We hit 6000 views last month! Words cannot express how crazy this is, thank you so much!

I also received the sweetest lovely dm from @mmmmatilde on Instagram on how much she and her daughter loved my 90 Calorie Healthy Pumpkin Banana Bread recipe (it made it onto their #1 bake list!), and a photo from Jessica Key on Pinterest who added chocolate chips to hers! Your pictures and feedback always make my day 🥰

Speaking of banana bread, this recipe has bananas too! Unlike Korean Hotteok, my lazy yeasted stovetop bread doesn’t require a fat source… not even for pan-frying! I’ve got grill marks on mine because I used a Chinese panini press (饼铛), but a normal frying pan will yield the same texture– a crusted exterior and a soft, fluffy interior.

jump to recipe | ingredient substitutes

This recipe is based off Chinese 发面饼, a pan-fried and flatter version of the mantou(馒头)/bao (包) which is steamed. The original recipe called for 200g flour, 1 tbsp oil, 1 egg, 2g yeast, one banana, and ‘an appropriate amount of milk’, which was super vague. Obviously, veganizing the recipe meant I couldn’t use eggs or milk… which was fine by me, I ended up taking out the oil too! Overripe bananas are such an incredible source of moisture!

For those who are in a hurry, I’ve also included an insanely fast version that uses baking powder in addition with instant yeast (see below)

Here’s a list of tried and tested modifications:

1. all-purpose flour → equal parts whole wheat flour or oat flour. replace 1/4 cup with cocoa powder for chocolate bread!
2. 1/2 cup water → equal parts milk or juice, or drink of choice
3. 1 banana → steamed potato, steamed taro, 1 egg, 1 tbsp oil
4. 1 tsp instant yeast → 3/4 tsp instant yeast + 3/4 tsp baking powder
5. optional ingredients: sweetener/syrup, dried fruit filling, custard filling, sesame, chocolate chips
6. frying pan → bake at 175°C /347°F, lowest oven rack for 20 – 25 mins

****flour and banana substitutions may have slight differences in liquid absorption/moisture levels: I would advise first dissolving the yeast into half the amount of water (1/4 cup), then adding water by the tablespoon after you incorporate the rest of the ingredients****

*Full macros and nutrient info beneath directions!*

Pin this before you forget!

Yield: 7

One Banana Fat-Free Pan-Fried Bread （香蕉无油发面饼）

Print

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 5 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water, lukewarm
• 1 tsp instant yeast (1 kcal*
• 1 banana (mine was 65g without skin, 8 kcal)*
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (130 kcal)*
• to taste: a pinch of salt or more for a savoury bread, sweetener (0 kcal)
• optional: vanilla extract, mix-ins listed above

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, dissolve yeast, mashed banana and optional sweetener in lukewarm water. See above for instructions on substituting ingredients.
2. In a large bowl, sift in your flour and salt.
3. Mix your wet mixture with the flour to form a loose dough. Knead until firm and elastic, around 25 to 40 minutes by hand. Stand mixers or bread machines are great for kneading!
4. Shape dough into a round lump and place in your large bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place, until double in size. This should take 40 to 60 minutes. I live in a dry climate so I always wet the dough's surface with a bit of water to prevent losing moisture.
5. Once doubled in size, punch the dough and give it a couple kneads. Shape them into balls, or flatten into wrappers and add your filling of choice. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. Fry each side over medium-low heat for 6 minutes with the lid covered, and 4 minutes uncovered on the other side. Alternatively, a panini press will do the trick 😊

Notes

*ingredients calorie values based on one out of seven servings

see above for recipe modification

Nutrition Information

Yield

7

Serving Size

one bun
Amount Per ServingCalories 140Total Fat 0.4gSaturated Fat 0.1gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1mgCarbohydrates 29.5gFiber 1.3gSugar 1.2gProtein 4g

Yours truly,

Heather 💜

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