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Both!

By popular demand.

Millie’s Spiced Banana Bread

Reader Millie writes:

This is one of my favourite bakes ever. I confess, I’m not a huge fan of banana bread – but this loaf changed my mind. There is something immensely comforting about this bake, whether it be how easy it is to make or the delicious smell that wafts through the house as it bakes and lingers for hours after. It’s a very forgiving recipe too, in that you can adjust the spices to your personal taste and in that you can swap the Greek yogurt for sour cream or natural yogurt, and you will still get a delicious loaf. It lends itself especially well to toasting, requiring only a minute under the grill before the sugar begins to caramalise. I like it slathered with butter and a good-sized cup of coffee.

You will need:

115g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
2 large eggs
190g plain flour
1tsp baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ginger
½ tsp nutmeg
240g mashed banana (roughly 2-3 bananas, depending on size)
120g greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla extract

How To:

1. Preheat oven to 170C/160C (fan). Cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

2. Whisk eggs together and slowly add to the butter-sugar mixture, making sure to beat the mixture well after each addition. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl too, as this will ensure your mixture is fully combined. This, according to Her Majesty Queen Mary Berry of Cakes, will help to avoid the dreaded curdling of the egg. I’d also recommend keeping your butter and eggs at an even temperature, as this can also help. In any event, I usually carry on with the bake, even if it has curdled a bit.

3. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, and spices. Add to butter, sugar and egg mixture and fold together until just combined.

4. Next, mash your bananas. I should add that I never actually weight out the bananas, just throw in 2 or 3 ripe bananas and the loaf has always turned out well. Add mashed banana, Greek yogurt and vanilla extract and mix again.

5. Pour mixture into greased and floured loaf tin and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes, until a deep golden brown and a skewer, when inserted, comes away clean.

Oo-er.

Pics via Millie