With COVID-19 hitting every corner of the planet, heading out of the comfort of your home is an adventure of its own. The news is depressing enough, let alone being stuck indoors 24/7.
With all the quarantine food trends inundating the Internet, it’s easy to find yourself lagging behind in the foodie world. Don’t worry – we’ve got your back.
Enter: banana bread. Is it the spotty bananas slowly rotting away, itching to be repurposed? Or is it the fact that banana bread reminds you of your family, whom you’d like to hug right now? Or, perhaps, you realise that life is short – eat banana bread first.
Now enter: marbled banana yeast bread. That’s right, folks, we’re no longer settling for simple banana bread! This sandwich bread from howdoughyoudo is soft, fluffy and carries a subtle banana flavour in every bite. The marbling effect is optional, but a lil’ extra chocolate never hurts!
Makes: 1 large loaf
Ingredients:
- 60ml warm full-fat milk (around 38°C – you should be able to stick your finger in the milk without being scalded)
- 1 tsp + 10g brown sugar, divided
- 2 tsp dry yeast
- 1 tbsp melted butter + extra for brushing
- 200g mashed banana (around 2 large bananas)
- 400g bread flour + extra for kneading (plain flour works too, but bread flour provides more structure)
- 1 tsp milk powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tsp cocoa powder (optional)
Method:
- In a small bowl, mix together the milk, 1 tsp brown sugar and dry yeast. Let sit until the mixture becomes frothy, around 10 minutes.
- Add the melted butter and mashed banana, mixing gently.
- In a separate large bowl, mix together the 10g brown sugar, flour, milk powder and salt.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the milk mixture. Using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula, mix until a shaggy dough forms. You may need to add a splash or two of water, depending on how dry your dough is.
- Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky – feel free to use a mixer! This is also doable by hand but will require some muscle strength and patience.
- To achieve the marbling effect, divide the dough into two halves. Knead the cocoa powder into one half until its colour evens out. Skip this step if you do not want the marbling effect.
- Place the dough in an oiled bowl (use two bowls if you’re making two flavours). Let it rise in a warm, draught-free place until it doubles in size, around 45 minutes.
- To shape the bread, divide the dough into four equal portions, two of each colour. Take one portion of each colour and twist it to form a tight rope, tucking in the ends (this is the top, horizontal part of the banana shape). To make the curved tail, divide each of the remaining portions into two pieces (four pieces total) and roll them each into a long rope. Arrange the ropes in alternating colours and press the ends together. Braid or twist the ropes into a moon shape. Join the two parts together by placing the curved tail underneath the top part (so that it resembles a banana) on a baking tray. Feel free to completely skip the shaping part and bake the bread in a loaf pan.
- Let the dough rise again until it doubles in size, around 45 minutes. When the rising time is almost up, preheat your oven to 200°C. You may have to reshape the dough after rising.
- Generously brush the dough with melted butter before baking it on the lower rack for around 30–40 minutes. Cover the bread with foil if it gets too brown.
- Let cool completely before slicing. Enjoy!
Watch the video tutorial here:
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