cranberry and chia seeds banana bread

February 26, 2016 - Bread - Tagged: , , , , , , - 27 comments

Over the New Year, I made a batch of banana bread to give away.

Banana breads are amazing things. Whenever someone tells me that he/she wants to learn to bake, I always tell them to start with a banana bread. This is because banana bread recipes are very forgiving and yield a high success rate.

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What’s more, to make banana breads, you only need a bowl and a spatula so it is a great bake for kids to help out with too. My kids have made banana breads by themselves on quite a few occasions with directions from me, and they have enjoyed the experience tremendously.

Today I added dried cranberries and chia seeds into the banana bread. My kids will happily eat this and yet, be none the wiser about the extra chia seeds (which they normally will not go near) that Mommy had added. Being a Mom has taught me a lot about sneaking around. In sort of a good way, I think. 🙂

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And if you are interested to make this amazingly delicious banana bread, here are the step-by-step pictorial instructions.

In a big bowl, stir together melted butter and sugar. I normally will use brown sugar for this recipe because I think it yields a richer flavor but I ran out of brown sugar, so I used caster sugar instead. You can try adding different sugars to this recipe – the darker the sugar, the deeper the flavor will be.

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Once the butter and sugar have been mixed (there will still be gritty bits), add the eggs, one at a time, and beat each into the mixture using a wooden spoon or spatula. As it mixes, the egg will change the consistency of the mixture. Make sure you work rather quickly otherwise the eggs will scramble because of the residual heat from the butter.

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Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix.

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Add the chia seeds and cranberries and stir some more to mix.

IMG_3237 IMG_3243Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the mixture. Do not over mix – just stir until the flour has just been moistened.

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Pour the batter into a lightly greased and lined 9×5-inch loaf pan.

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Bake at 170°C for 45-55 minutes, or until an inserted skewer emerges cleanly.

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Allow the banana bread to cool completely in the pan.

Then simply slice, and serve!

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Cranberry And Chia Seeds Banana Bread
Serves 8
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Ingredients
  1. 2 large eggs
  2. 4 large bananas, mashed
  3. 125g unsalted butter, melted
  4. 175g plain flour
  5. 150g caster sugar
  6. 2 teaspoon baking powder
  7. ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  8. ½ teaspoon salt
  9. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  10. 80-100g dried cranberries
  11. 1 tablespoon chia seeds
Instructions
  1. In a big bowl, stir together melted butter and sugar.
  2. Once the butter and sugar have been mixed (there will still be gritty bits), add the eggs, one at a time, and beat each into the mixture using a wooden spoon or spatula. As it mixes, the egg will change the consistency of the mixture. Make sure you work rather quickly otherwise the eggs will scramble because of the residual heat from the butter.
  3. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla extract and mix.
  4. Add the chia seeds and cranberries and stir some more to mix.
  5. Fold the sifted dry ingredients into the mixture. Do not over mix – just stir until the flour has just been moistened.
  6. Pour the batter into a lightly greased and lined 9×5-inch loaf pan.
  7. Bake at 170°C for 45-55 minutes, or until an inserted skewer emerges cleanly.
  8. Allow the banana bread to cool completely in the pan.
  9. Then simply slice, and serve!
Adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson
Adapted from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson
The Domestic Goddess Wannabe http://thedomesticgoddesswannabe.com/

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