My idea of a perfect banana bread is something so simple but filled with the perfect amount of warmth and sweetness to sit beside a cup of tea (preferably earl grey).
This loaf is soft, fluffy, and filled with the most wonderful toasty banana flavour. Eating it warm with a generous spread of butter and a spoonful of fig jam is pretty much perfect.
The batter comes together in just about 10 minutes, and then it’s time to sit back, whilst the smell of banana bread fills your home.
JUMP TO:
• recipe
• what you’ll need
• history of banana bread
• FAQ’s
What you’ll need
• Flour | be sure to use self-raising, my favourite is Carrs Flour.
• Sugar | Granulated or caster sugar will work. If you’re looking for a refined sugar free option, coconut sugar or maple syrup work too!
• Oil | My personal favourite is olive oil, bus you can also use vegetable, avocado, rapeseed, or even melted butter.
• ‘Milk’ | I use oat milk, but any plant based milk will work.
• Vanilla | Use a high quality vanilla extract or paste. If you don’t have any, it will still be super tasty.
• Banana | Be sure to use ripe bananas, the browner the better.
• Leavens | Use both baking powder and baking soda for an extra fluffy loaf.
• Salt | Use fine sea salt in the batter, and top with a little flaky salt for good measure.
• Add-ins | Despite how divine this loaf is on it’s own, this recipe is so customisable. You could add nuts, chocolate, fruit, whatever you like. One of my favourite combos is white chocolate and pistachio (trust me)!
The history of banana bread
Alexandra the Great, the former kind of Macedonia, conquered parts of India in 327 BCE and it is said that he ”discovered” bananas. However, Archaeological records indicate that the banana had been cultivated a long time before that but this was the first written record of any trace of them.
Banana bread first started to become popular in America and made its way into many American cookbooks in the 1930s. It began gaining popularity after the popularization of baking powder and baking soda in 1930. The origin of the first banana bread made is unknown, but many believe that it was created by housewives in the 18th century that were experimenting with pearlash. Home baking became popular again in the 1960s and many people realised how simple the banana bread recipe was, and the recipe began to blow up in popularity.
Banana bread was a very common recipe during the Great Depression (1929 – 1939) since it costs very little to make and uses very common ingredients.
In 2020 as the covid-19 lockdown began, the popularity of banana bread increased by 525% in the UK. Since people were very bored during the lockdown, there was a baking craze from 2020-2021. Most people were getting stocked up on food and they found themselves with many leftover bananas and flour. This is why it became extremely popular, once again.
FAQ’s
Can I make this refined sugar free?
Of course! You can replace the sugar with equal amounts maple syrup, coconut sugar, or sweetener of your choice.
Can I make this gluten free?
You should be able to sub the flour 1:1 with gluten free, I have also made it with oat flour which works well!
How do I get the perfect crack down the middle of the loaf?
I like to rub a sharp knife in oil and drag it down the middle of the banana bread batter just before baking. This will allow the batter to spread outwards from said line, creating the perfect loaf.
The best vegan banana bread
prep time: 15 mins // serves: 8 // cook time: 45 mins
Ingredients:
• 3 large / 4 small bananas
• 56g olive oil (1/3c)
• 60ml oat milk (1/4c)
• 67g caster sugar, or maple syrup (1/3c)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 242g self-raising flour (1+3/4c)
• 1 + 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• add-ins, or toppings such as chocolate chunks, jam, butter, etc
Method:
• Pre-heat your oven to 180c / 160c fan oven.
• Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• To a large bowl add the bananas and mash into a paste.
• Add the oil, sugar, milk and vanilla. Whisk to combine.
• Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
• Fold until just combined.
• Scoop the batter into your loaf pan and smooth out.
• OPTIONAL – take a sharp knife brushed with oil and drag it across the middle of the batter (this will create a lovely crack down the middle).
• Bake for 45 minutes until risen and dark golden brown.
• Let cool for a while, slice and enjoy!
butterfly bakery blog 
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