We were a little tired of banana bread, until we saw this tip

Honestly: we’ve considered banana bread ‘past its prime’ for a while now. Just like ripped skinny jeans and Madonna’s career (sorry, fans). But now we’ve discovered a tip that has rekindled our old flame. Will this make us all start baking banana bread en masse again?

A simple banana bread is actually pretty boring. You need to jazz it up to make it more exciting. In the past, we’ve already shared tips for that (add raspberries and pistachios or turn it into banana bread waffles), but secretly, they were still missing something to make the bake truly exciting. What was it? A savory touch. And now I’ve found the golden tip: black sesame.

Recipe: banana bread with black sesame

Black sesame provides exactly the savory touch your banana bread needs. But not too much: you still want to taste a little of the banana’s sweetness. The black sesame even gives it a slightly roasted aftertaste. Delicious. This is what your banana bread has been craving! In addition to black sesame, the recipe below also contains toasted sesame oil, black sesame paste and white sesame. All ingredients you can simply buy at an Asian grocery store. You can also use that sesame perfectly well in other dishes, in case you’re worried it will end up at the back of your kitchen cupboard. For example, make this silky sesame chicken.

But first, you’re going to bake an old-fashioned, delicious banana bread with an exciting twist. Let’s get started!

• Place 1 large egg in the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large bowl if you’re using an electric hand mixer). Leave it until the egg reaches room temperature.
• Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 190ºC. Line the bottom and two long sides of a loaf pan with a sheet of parchment paper, allowing it to extend a few centimeters beyond the sides.
• Peel 2 large or 3 small ripe bananas, place them in a medium bowl and mash until smooth. You can use a fork or a potato masher. Make a well in the center of the bananas. Place 60 grams of black sesame paste and 1 teaspoon of salt in the well. Stir together.
• Place 195 grams of flour, 45 grams of buckwheat flour and 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a second medium bowl. Mix together.
• Add 100 grams of granulated sugar to the bowl with the egg. Mix on low speed until combined, which takes about 1 minute. Increase the speed to medium-low and mix for another minute. Increase the speed to high again and mix until the mixture is pale yellow, another 2 to 3 minutes.
• Reduce the speed again. Slowly add 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Add the banana mixture and beat until you no longer see any banana lumps, about 30 to 60 seconds.
• Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until just combined. Add the remaining flour mixture and mix until a few ‘flour streaks’ are still visible. Then gently fold the mixture with a spatula until no flour streaks remain.
• Pour the batter into the pan and spread it evenly. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of black or white sesame seeds on top.
• Bake for 5 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 160ºC. Continue baking, rotating the pan halfway through, for another 35 to 40 minutes. If you insert a toothpick and it comes out clean, the banana bread is done.
• Place the pan with the banana bread on a wire rack and let it cool completely, about 2.5 hours. After that, it’s ready to eat.

Also read:

• 5 common mistakes to avoid when baking banana bread
• TikTok hack of the week: how to make banana bread in 60 seconds
• Recipe: vegan banana bread

Source/recipe: TheKitchn, the conscientiouseater