Do you experiment with favorite recipes?
I get a bee in my bonnet, then tangle with a tried and true.
Perfect was the banana bread, but then a change was needed— to celebrate fall, of course! Three innocent and overripe bananas were sent through the rigors. Ingredient iterations of good, off, oh yeah!, but never hitting the umm, umm, spice spot. That is, until a recent midnight hour.
The sayings go, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” or “why mess with a good thing?” With every bite of Spiced Banana Bread, we disagree.
Why This Bread’s A New Fall Favorite
- it’s nutritious, hearty, yet delicate
- nutmeg and clove alone make for a high spiced, yet balanced bread
- cane and coconut sugar combine well with these bold spices
- chia seeds and pecans offer nutrition and the perfect crunch
- it’s easy to make!
This bread comes together in twenty minutes, then cooks for about forty. Slice and serve for the fall season. Full size cuts are perfect for small gatherings, but half size pieces are better for large parties.
Spiced Banana… I’ll be your bread for all season, all the year through <3
Spiced Banana Bread
Ingredients:
- 1⅓ cups or 160 grams flour (used 80 grams white whole wheat and 80 grams whole wheat pastry)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (sea level = 1 teaspoon)
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground clove
- ½-1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 1/4 cup pecans, chopped - walnuts or pecans
- ¼ cup or 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter - room temperature
- 2/3 cup cane, granulated, or coconut sugar (used half coconut, half cane sugar)
- 2 large eggs - room temperature
- 1¼ tsp almond (or vanilla) extract
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
Garnish
- coarse chopped pecans, cane and coconut sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F
- Line a 8X4 loaf pan with parchment paper and set aside.
- Whisk together flour(s), baking powder and soda, salt, spices, chia seeds, and nuts. Set aside.
- Add butter and both sugars to a medium-size bowl. With a hand or stand mixer, beat on medium for about two minutes. Spatula the sides down a couple times. Add both eggs and almond extract then begin on low this time and mix just until incorporated but smooth.
- With your mixer still on low, add the flour in two batches, mixing just until almost incorporated after each. Now switch to a spatula: fold the mashed banana and nuts (if using) into the batter; reach bottom of the bowl to top, making sure flour isn't hiding below.
- Taste, is the batter to your liking? If not, it isn't too late for one quick stir of more extract, sugar or spice, but careful, because we don't want to stir too much. Spatula the goodness into the prepared pan. If you want a design, swirl a knife or offset spatula back and forth across the top, then sprinkle with chopped nuts, sugar and spice.
- Bake on the center rack for 35-40 minutes.Begin checking five minutes prior to the earliest finish time. Bake until the bread's just set and a toothpick comes out with few crumbs or clean. It's better for the bread to be underdone and continue baking on the counter, then overdone.
- Remove pan from the oven and let stand for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Enjoy warm or cooled.
Notes
- If omitting nuts, lessen the bake time by about five minutes.
- The coconut sugar adds complexity, but the bread doesn't taste like coconut.
- All-purpose flour can be used in place of whole wheat flour(s).
- For honey butter, soften 1-1/2 Tablespoons butter, then add a 1/4-1/2 teaspoon honey, then whisk or stir with a fork until smooth.
- For crunchy on the out and soft on the in, leave bread on a rack loose tented with foil. For soft inside and out, store airtight.
