Banana Nutella Swirl Bread

So up until September 2011, I'd been striving for a gluten free diet for just over a year.  I'm not allergic, celiac or gluten intolerant. I know? Why would I torture myself like this then, right? I, simply, felt better and had more energy without the little evil glutens in my life.  More on that later, for now all you need to know is that I gave myself a break this year.  A three month break and went on a crazy gluten-filled binge of sorts!!! So the entire last quarter of 2011, I was shoving any type of bread or beer I could find or create right in my pie hole.  MMMMM, PIE!!! 


This moist delicious quick bread was one of the most requested recipes that I have posted lately so I figured that it would be a great one for my inaugural post!

                                   

Nutella Swirl Banana Bread

1/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plain low fat yogurt, low fat sour cream or buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour, or half all-purpose and half whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup Nutella

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a 9″x5″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar until well combined – the mixture will have the consistency of wet sand. Add the banana, eggs, yogurt and vanilla and beat until well blended. Don’t worry about getting all the lumps of banana out.

Add the flour, baking soda and salt and gently stir with a spatula just until combined. If you are feeling crazy, throw 1/4-1/3c. of walnuts or pecans in the batter right about now before its is completely blended.

Pour about half the batter into your prepared pan, top with spoonfuls of Nutella, spreading it gently over the batter (don’t worry about getting it even), and top with the remaining batter. Bake in the middle of the oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, until the top is cracked and springy to the touch. Cool in the pan on a wire rack.