The Quarantine of 2020 has turned a lot of lives upside down. Everyone has been impacted differently, but one thing has been common in many homes. We all overbought bananas, and now have these delightful brown bunches sitting on the counter. What to do.... what to do.....
Luckily overripe bananas are perfection for banana bread and it freezes easily too!! This recipe will not be for your typical banana bread. I'm personally not a fan of nutty breads and the hubs is supposed to avoid nuts right now. BUT, I am a sucker for Cinnabon. The sweet and sticky center is not only finger licking good, but so easy to do! Just add cinnamon and sugar- I kid you not! That is all it is!
Wanna watch the how-to LIVE? It's available on our facebook page! Pssst...... I totally forgot an ingredient during the live and it turned out to be a happy mistake. I completely forgot to add the greek yogurt and was panicking thinking I was going to get lead bricks out of the oven. The good news is this batch tasted just fine- just a slight touch more dry. So, if you need to avoid dairy you can feel free to omit the yogurt. To add a bit more moisture my favorite trick is adding a 1/4 of apple sauce for my cakes and breads if needed.
Banana Bread
- 2 cups (250g) white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (100g) light brown sugar, not packed
- 4 Tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 large eggs
- 1 and 1/2 cups mashed very ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
- 1/3 cup (80g) vanilla greek yogurt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon Swirl
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Vanilla Glaze
- 1/2 cup (60g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) heavy cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9×5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Set aside. If you do not have a loaf pan you really can use a wide variety of pan sizes and shapes, but note your cook time might need adjusted. Personally, I love my mini loaf pan!
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside. In a separate large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter with a mixer until blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. With a spoon or spatula, stir in the mashed banana, yogurt, and vanilla. Slowly add in the dry ingredients. Do NOT overmix. Batter will be thick.
3. Spoon half of the batter into prepared pan of choice. Sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar swirl ingredients. Top with remaining batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Remove from pan and cool completely on the wire rack.
4. While the bread is cooling, make the glaze in a small bowl by combining the powdered sugar, heavy cream & vanilla. Add more powdered sugar until you reached desired thickness. It should easily run off the spoon. Drizzle over banana bread.
5. Bread will stay fresh and moist at room temperature for up to 10 days in an airtight container OR freeze in small servings to enjoy later.
Did you make this recipe?
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