The idea for this banana bread came to me after I made the caramelized banana berry bowl a few days ago. It was a huge hit with my family and on Instagram.
So I thought why not add caramelized banana slices to the banana bread batter instead of mashed bananas. The result was a super moist bread with sweet burst of caramelized banana pieces. I topped the bread with a mix of seeds that get toasty while baking adding lots of crunchiness. Traditionally I would use walnuts, which btw works well with this recipe, but if you want to change it up try mixed seeds. As with most of my cake baking I prefer olive oil for its grassy flavor, however you could use any neutral tasting oil to keep the flavor focused on the bananas. However I don’t recommend all butter because it make the bread very dense.
Secondly you will notice I didn’t use baking soda. This is because I find baking soda gives a metallic soapy taste when the batter dosen’t have an acid component. (Examples of an acid would be yogurt, lemon juice or vinegar). If like me you don’t like baking soda in baked items, simply double or triple the amount of baking powder, it works perfectly. Make sure the baking powder is double acting, that way the baking powder acts twice; once when it first comes in contact with the wet ingredients then the second time with heat.
ingredients
ABOUT 10 SLICES
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons wholewheat or all-purpose flour or gluten free flour mix
- 2 large ripe bananas, sliced
- 1 ripe banana halved lengthwise, set aside for the topping
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 1 ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon butter or coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup unsweetened apple sauce or ½ cup plain yogurt
- ½ cup coconut sugar or raw sugar or brown sugar
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil or any neutral tasting oil
- 1 ripe bananas, for topping
- pinch of kosher sea salt
- 2 tablespoons mixed seeds; pumpkin, flax, sesame, sunflower
- SERVING SUGGESTIONS
- Almond butter, soften regular or vegan butter, cream cheese
- maple syrup or strawberry chia jam to serve
- Caramelize an extra banana to serve with
- Preheat the oven to 325 °F and grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the butter or coconut oil and let melt. Add 2 of the sliced bananas, spread them out into an even single layer. Allow it to caramelize on one side until golden about 3-4 minutes. Flip the bananas over gently and cook for another minute. Stir in the maple syrup. Let bubble for a minute or so. Take it off the heat.
- Sift and Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl; flour, baking powder, and salt together in a mixing bowl. Set aside.
- Add the coconut sugar, eggs, olive oil and whisk vigorously well combined and creamy, . Whisk in the vanilla, apple sauce or yogurt until incorporated. (I like to do this in small food processor)
- Fold in the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients and mix until everything is well incorporated. Now fold the caramelized banana slices. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with mixed seeds and place the halved banana on top.
- Bake the banana bread uncovered for 45-55 minutes until browned. A skewer inserted in the middle should come clean. Let the bread cool slightly about 10 minutes.
- Slice it into thick slices and serve warm with the reserved caramelized bananas and other toppings suggested.
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