Remember last week when I talked about how spring is around the corner. The days have been longer…lighter. Some bulbs are even beginning to push up through the ground despite no real warming in temperature.
Look what happened this week. Winter storm Saturn visited us and, while not really depositing any significant snow accumulation, it was enough to close schools and create panic at the grocery stores.
As soon as I saw this recipe on Shutterbean’s web site, I knew I had to make it. A warm slice with a bit of butter and a cup of chai was the only saving grace on this wet, blustery day. I don’t know what I love most about this bread. It could be the fact that it’s not over-the-top sweet like some banana bread recipes, or that it baked up perfectly and evenly every single time. But no…it’s definitely the insanely simple and delicious of turbinado sugar and cinnamon that forms a crunchy crust when baked (“you have to figure out how to get the topping throughout the entire bread” says my son). Done.
We might have eaten two loaves in 48 hours.
Snow has that effect on me.
maple olive oil banana bread (adapted slightly from Shutterbean, originally adapted from Tara O’Brady of UPPERCASE Magazine
Makes one 8 x 4 inch loaf
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 packed brown sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
for the topping and filling:
4 tsp turbinado or raw sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Butter an 8 x 4 inch loaf pain. Line the pan with a sling of parchment paper, with the long sides overhanging. Lightly butter the parchment paper.
Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl: both flours, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and brown sugar, breaking up any lumps. Add the maple syrup and vanilla, whisking until smooth. Add the eggs and beat or mix with a large spoon or spatula until the eggs are incorporated. Stir in the bananas, then the yogurt. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, a little at a time, stirring until just combined. Don’t over mix.
Pour half the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing if necessary.
Mix turbinado and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the batter in the loaf pan. Pour the other half of the batter into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the topping onto the batter.
Bake about 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean.
Remove from oven and leave to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Using the parchment paper sling, lift the bread out of the pan. Remove the parchment and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
