Desserts
American
AmericanBanana Bread
A moist loaf to use up ripe bananas, three ways. Basic is a simple all-in-one bake; Better browns the butter and adds walnuts; Ultimate is a bakery-style loaf with buttermilk, dark muscovado, a brown-butter crumb and a cream cheese glaze.
Vegetarian
Ultimate version
Bakery-style loaf with buttermilk, dark muscovado and a cream cheese glaze.
Per serving£1.05
Total cost£8.40
Time1 hr 25 min
Ingredients for 8
- Loaf
- 4 very ripe bananas , mashed
- 140 g unsalted butter , browned
- 120 g dark muscovado sugar
- 60 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 80 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 240 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- Glaze
- 80 g cream cheese , for glaze
Method
- Heat oven to 170C and line a 900g loaf tin.
- Brown the butter until nutty and let it cool slightly.
- Whisk bananas, brown butter, both sugars, eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until smooth.
- Fold in flour, bicarbonate, cinnamon and salt until just combined.
- Pour into the tin and bake 55-60 minutes until deeply golden and a skewer is clean.
- Cool fully, then beat the cream cheese with a little icing sugar and milk and drizzle over the top.
Equipment
The three ways, side by side
Budget
Quick all-in-one loaf with oil and ripe bananas.
Better
Brown-butter loaf with walnuts and a hint of vanilla.
Ultimate
Bakery-style loaf with buttermilk, dark muscovado and a cream cheese glaze.
