1cupmashed overripe bananasapproximately 3-4 medium bananas
Pinchof salt
1teaspoonground cinnamon
2teaspoonsvanilla extract
1 ½cups(230g)spelt flour
1teaspoonbicarbonate of soda
1tablespoonyoghurt
¾cups(80g)toasted pecansroughly chopped
Extra ground cinnamonto sprinkle
Instructions
Pre heat oven to 190°C (170°C fan forced).
Line a loaf pan (22cm X 11cm X 7cm) with baking paper.
Add oil, maple syrup and eggs to the bowl of an electric mixer and process until pale and fluffy. Alternatively, you can whisk using a balloon whisk until pale and creamy.
Add mashed bananas, salt, cinnamon and vanilla extract. Mix well by hand using a wooden/silicone spoon.
Add flour to the bowl of wet ingredients. Mix bicarbonate of soda with yoghurt in a little bowl. Add to the flour in the big bowl. Mix gently with a wooden spoon until just combined. Add toasted pecans reserving a few for the top. Fold them gently into the batter until just combined.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a wooden spoon. Scatter the remaining pecans over the batter. Sprinkle with extra ground cinnamon.
Bake in the pre-heated oven for 45-50 minutes until golden, risen well and cooked through the middle when tested with a skewer. Remove from oven and let the loaf cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes before carefully dislodging it and turning it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Slice and enjoy. Bread will keep fresh in the fridge for up to a week. Sliced banana bread can also be frozen in individual freezer-safe bags for up to 3 months. To reheat, toast a couple of times from frozen or air fry for a few minutes at 180°C. Alternatively, thaw for an hour on your kitchen bench at room temperature before toasting.
Notes
Batter Consistency - The banana bread batter shouldn't be tough and stodgy, nor should it be too loose and runny like pancake batter. It should be like a cake batter. My recipe will never give you dry and tough batter but your batter could possibly be too soft depending on the bananas being used. In that case, add an extra tablespoon or two of flour till you get a good consistency in the batter.Oil – I like to use rice bran oil as it has a very neutral taste and renders well to baking. I have also used virgin coconut oil, butter, light olive oil, macadamia oil and grapeseed oil in the past with fantastic results. I keep the quantities of the oil/fat same as the one in the recipe above.Sweetener – I find that maple syrup not only gives the best tasting banana bread with slight caramel tones but also raises it better than honey. I have used Eucalyptus honey and Manuka honey in the past. The bread actually tastes divine with these two honey variations, very more-ish and floral. When using honey, the bread doesn’t rise as high as the maple version.Flour – Spelt flour adds robust quality to this banana bread and that toasts really well. You can substitute with plain or wholemeal flour.Bicarbonate Of Soda – It is important to use bicarb of soda and not baking powder. This is the key to that incredible rise of the banana bread that everyone loves.Yoghurt - You can also use soy milk or rice milk instead of yoghurt. All of these ingredients are acidic and help neutralize the metallic taste of bicarbonate of soda in the recipe.Make It Vegan – Use two flax eggs instead of regular eggs. One flax egg = 1 tablespoon flaxseed meal + 3 tablespoons water. Use soy/rice milk instead of yoghurt.