All of my adult life I’ve been searching for a banana bread that was more like the ones that my mother made. I don’t say that about very many culinary things (Pumpkin pie, bread stuffing and cinnamon-sugar donuts) but her banana bread was less sweet and somehow darker than modern recipes seem to be. I remember there was coffee in the recipe, but I’d never been able to find a recipe that uses any substantial amount of liquid. Until now. I think Earl Grey tea and banana bread should be best friends. Gosh darn it, if this isn’t the best banana bread I’ve ever had, I’ll eat my shoes (or something).
A delicate sweetness, a hint of citrus and that complexity that only Earl Grey tea has are all elevated by fresh, tart blueberries. It’s banana bread; so it’s moist, filling and comforting. It’s Earl Grey Blueberry Banana Bread; so it’s all that and so much more.
Earl Grey Blueberry Banana Bread
Makes 2 loaves
Adapted from here
4 cups all-purpose flour (Gluten-Free one here; use brown rice flour for the rice portion)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 medium ripe bananas, well mashed (~1 1/2 cups once mashed)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon orange zest (Optional, but highly recommended)
1 cup strongly brewed Earl grey tea, cooled
1 1/2 cups canola oil (or other neutral oil), plus more for greasing loaf pans
1 tablespoon boxed egg replacer + 1/2 cup water, well mixed
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease two loaf pans ( 5 x 9 or 6 x 10) and line with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In a medium sized bowl, mash the bananas together with the sugars, orange zest, Earl Grey tea, oil, egg replacer and vanilla until well mixed. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until mostly combined. Add the blueberries and fold until incorporated, being careful not to overmix the batter. Pour into the two loaf pans and bake for about 1 hour and 25 minutes, or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Serve warm or cold.
