Banana Bread with Rum Soaked Raisins

Light, not dense, banana bread that’s made without butter. Moist, nutty and even on the healthy side.

I’m not quite sure how – let alone why – it happened, but there has been a serious banana bread shortage on this blog.

Somehow, in the two-and-a-half years I’ve been blogging about breakfast, I’ve only posted one banana bread recipe. Yet I’ve managed to post two recipes for banana bread baked oatmeal.

It’s madness.

To make up for my lack of banana bread – and quick breads in general – here’s a big, boozy loaf of banana goodness. In this loaf we’ve got bananas (obviously), walnuts, shredded coconut and plenty of rum-soaked raisins.

Some banana breads are made with so much butter that they could almost be banana pound cakes. Or they’re made with a ton of oil and sugar.

But, as regular visitors to this blog would know, I generally make my baked goods on the lighter side. This is a breakfast blog – and not a dessert blog – after all. So this banana bread only contains two tablespoons of oil, and ¼ cup of sugar (plus two teaspoons blackstrap molasses).

Of course, the whole rum-soaked raisins part may make this loaf seem less ‘breakfast appropriate’. Especially since I soaked my raisins in some double-strength rum that looked like it came from a pirate ship.

But leaving that minor detail aside, this is definitely a breakfast-worthy banana bread. (Also, the alcohol in that ounce of rum will probably cook out in the oven).

I know some people hate the word ‘moist’, so sorry in advance if that’s you. Because this banana bread is really moist. The moisture comes from (a) the bananas, (b) Greek-style yogurt, and (c) buttermilk.

If you don’t have buttermilk, just whisk about ½ teaspoon lemon juice into ¼ cup milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. And don’t worry if you don’t have authentic Greek yogurt, because any thick and creamy yogurt will do.

Another tip: you can freeze individual slices of banana bread! Just slice the loaf into reasonably thick slices, place a piece of non-stick parchment paper (aka baking paper) in between the slices, and put them in a plastic container or freezer bag.

The slices should be fine in the freezer for about a month, maybe longer. But don’t keep them there until next Christmas or anything.

Last of all, let me address the elephant in the room: the outside of this banana bread is really dark.

Yes, it may look a little funny, but that dark exterior is actually delicious. It reminds me if the outside of panettone, if you’re familiar with that Italian Christmas cake. The quick bread has a firm, almost chewy crust on the outside while the inside remains light and moist (there’s that word again).

Also, this banana bread rises a lot in the oven. So arrange your oven racks accordingly.

Fun Facts

1. The most bananas peeled and eaten in one minute is eight, according to Guinness World Records
2. Banana bread first appeared in recipe books in 1933. It is attributed to Pillsbury’s ‘Balanced Recipes’ cookbook (first published in 1933)
3. National Banana Bread Day is February 23

Banana Bread with Rum Soaked Raisins

 

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Prep time

45 mins

Cook time

1 hour 10 mins

Total time

1 hour 55 mins

 

Banana nut bread speckled with boozy raisins. This moist quick bread is made without butter, minimal sugar and only a tiny bit of oil.

Recipe type: Quick Breads

Yield: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• ⅓ cup (55g) raisins
• 2 tablespoons (30mL) rum
• 1 ½ cups (195g) all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (35g) shredded coconut
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup (50g) brown sugar, packed
• 2 tablespoons (30mL) canola oil
• 2 teaspoons blackstrap molasses
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup (250g) mashed banana
• ½ cup (120g) Greek-style yogurt
• ¼ cup (60mL) buttermilk
• ⅓ cup (35g) chopped walnuts

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the raisins and rum. Let sit for at least 30 minutes, or ideally overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x5 inch (23x13 cm) loaf pan with cooking oil spray. If desired, also line the pan with non-stick paper.
3. In a large (or medium-sized) bowl, combine the all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and shredded coconut. Stir well.
4. In another large bowl, whisk the eggs with a fork. Whisk in the brown sugar, canola oil, blackstrap molasses and vanilla extract. Add the mashed banana, yogurt and buttermilk, and mix until well combined.
5. Pour the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) into the wet ingredients (the banana mixture). Mix until just combined. Gently fold in the chopped walnuts and rum-soaked raisins.
6. Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60 - 70 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean (or with a few moist crumbs).
7. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooking rack. Store in an airtight container.

Notes

Room temperature eggs are preferred.

1 cup mashed banana is approximately equal to 2 large, very ripe bananas

3.4.3174

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