Banana bread with Greek Yoghurt

O iogurte grego contêm lactose? Does greek yoghurt contain lactose?
People who are lactose intolerant may quiver at the thought of having greek yogurt. Just like all natural dairy products, greek yogurt contains lactose.But because greek yoghurt has been strained three times to remove the whey, much of the lactose is also removed. Milk contains about 11 grams of lactose per cup,whereas plain greek yoghurt contains less than half of this per serving.
This qualifies greek yogurt as a low lactose dairy product. Finding this out, was a great step forward for me in trying to fathom out the tolerances and intolerances in my lactose free diet.I also learnt that bananas are an important source of calcium so can help replace some of that lost when not drinking milk.
 The live active cultures (probiotics) inside greek yogurt will help digest lactose for you,and studies have shown that probiotics can lessen the symptoms of lactose intolerance. This is because they modify the metabolic activity of microbiota.. So, is greek yogurt lactose free? No, but it’s perfect if you’re lactose intolerant and want to start introducing a little lactose into your diet!

The ripeness of the bananas is all important

Soft, tender, subtly sweet, and packed with banana flavour, you’d never be able to tell that this banana bread is made without butter or oil. Instead, it’s got Greek yogurt to keep it moist.

And honestly? You’d be fine leaving out the brown sugar and only using a 1/4 cup of honey as a sweetener… especially if you were planning on tossing in some chocolate chips. I like my banana bread without any extras, so I passed on the chocolate chips and walnuts(I know, I know) and played around with the sweetness instead. I am sure the other version is delicious — it really depends on how sweet you like it!

Banana bread with Greek Yoghurt

1½ cups all-purpose flour
1½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. sea salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 large, ripe bananas (~1 cup mashed)
½ cup plain or vanilla Greek yogurt
¼ cup honey
¼ cup brown sugar* 
 chocolate chips/raisins/nuts/etc.(optional)

Preheat your oven to 350ºF, and lightly grease a 9 x 5 bread pan.
In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until well combined and set aside.
Lightly beat the eggs in a medium sized mixing bowl. Add mashed bananas, Greek yogurt, honey, and brown sugar, if using. Stir until well combined.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir gently. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan, spreading it out evenly, and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

* depending on how sweet you want your bread to be, you can easily leave out the brown sugar and just use honey especially if you add chocolate chips.