Stay Home and Bake Some Protein Bread Pudding

Since the COVID-19 stay-at-home measures began, photos of homemade banana bread appeared throughout my social media feed more and more frequently. I love bananas and banana bread but have never been one to bake. If I were to bake something, I would make something healthy and tasty with limited added sugar and lots of protein...So, a classic banana bread recipe would probably not be the best option for me.  With this newfound free time and a craving to do something creative, I knew that the Spring of 2020 would be the time to try. I combined a few simple and healthy ingredients to surprise myself with an outrageous protein bread pudding.

The inspiration finally kicked in one night as I fell asleep pondering what I could possibly make the next morning. Shortly after waking up, I immediately rummaged through my refrigerator and pantry to see what ingredients I could combine with my Trader Joe's Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix to create something with a bread-like consistency. I found bananas, apples, walnuts, and powder and knew that I was on my way to creating my protein bread dream-come-true. After guestimating how much of each ingredient to include and how long to bake for, I was surprised to see that what I had pulled out of the oven was not what I expected. My new creation was tasty for sure. The consistency was not the dry, bread-like texture I expected, but instead reminded me of bread pudding, one of my favorite restaurant desserts. So, I felt that it was only necessary to call my creation after the delicious dessert it so closely resembled. Thanks to my kitchen ingredients and amateur, yet adventurous baking skills, my protein bread pudding was born. 

Whenever you are feeling stuck indoors or craving a new bread to bake, give this recipe a try! If you've mastered this protein bread pudding, you will be well-prepared to try this more advanced homemade protein bread with some similar ingredients, plus many more. Make the most of this rollercoaster of a year with this protein bread pudding that will bring the health nut inside you both satisfaction and a smile.

Ban-Apple Walnut Protein Bread Pudding

• Prep Time:5 mins
• Cook Time:1 hr
• Total Time:1 hr 5 mins
• Servings:6
• Easy

Ingredients

• 1 cup Trader Joe's Buttermilk Protein Pancake Mix
• 1 cup milk
• 1 scoop protein powder 20-30g
• 1 ripe banana
• 1 apple
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• Cooking/baking oil spray

• Step 1

  Preheat the oven to 350°.

  

• Step 2

  Combine 1 cup of protein pancake mix with 1 cup of milk in a bowl. Whisk or stir thoroughly.

  

• Step 3

  Add 1 serving or scoop of protein powder to the mixture. You may need to add more milk if needed to dissolve the powder. Whisk or stir the ingredients thoroughly until all the powder is dissolved.

  

• Step 4

  Slice and chop 1 ripe banana and 1 apple into small, bite-sized pieces. Add them to a separate bowl.

  

• Step 5

  Chop 1/2 cup (or a handful) of walnuts and add to bowl with chopped fruit. Whisk or stir the ingredients.

  

• Step 6

  Combine the mixtures of both bowls into 1 large mixing bowl. Whisk or stir all ingredients thoroughly for about 1 minute.

  

• Step 7

  Line a baking dish or pan that can be placed in the oven with aluminum foil and spray with cooking or baking spray. I used olive oil spray. Slowly pour the mixture from the large mixing bowl into the baking dish. Leave the ingredients in the oven to bake for about 60 minutes. Allow the bread pudding to cool for 15 minutes before eating. Enjoy!