South African Banana Bread
Delight in a slice of this moist and delicious South African banana bread! Made with oil and no butter, this easy and simple loaf will soon become a favourite in your home.
Servings 10 slices
Calories
Equipment
Ingredients
- 190 g all-purpose flour (or 1½ cups)
- 2 teaspoon baking powder (or 1½tsp of baking soda)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon - optional (or more, to taste)
- ½ cup cooking oil
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs (at room temperature)
- 2-3 medium ripe bananas (approximately 270 g - 300 g (9 oz - 11 oz)
- 140 g yoghurt ( or ⅗ cup)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C and grease or line an 9'' by 5'' (23 cm x 13 cm) bread loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Sift the dry ingredients (all-purpose flour,baking powder, salt, and cinnamon) into a bowl·
- Separately mash the banana with a fork in a bowl then set aside.
- In another bowl, whisk the oil, yoghurt, vanilla extract, and sugar until well combined. Add the eggs, a little at a time, then whisk. Gradually add the dry ingredients (the flour mixture) to the wet ingredients, then carefully fold using a spatula.
- Fold the mashed banana into the mixture, pour the batter into the loaf pan, and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the banana bread to cool for at least 15 minutes before removing it from the pan, then transfer to a wire rack so it cools completely.
- Serve with some coffee, tea, a glass of milk, or as preferred.
Notes
- room temperature ingredients: using eggs, bananas, and other ingredients at room temperature helps achieve a uniform texture.
- do not overmix: be careful not to overmix your batter. Overmixed batter produces more gluten, resulting in a dense, and chewy loaf.
- checking for doneness: to check whether the banana bread is done, insert a toothpick or a thin knife into the center. If it comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs, it's done.
- allow the banana loaf to cool before slicing: once baked, let the bread cool in the pan for about 15 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely. This makes slicing easier and reduces crumbling.
- variations and add-ins: consider adding nuts, chocolate chips, and dried fruit such as sultanas, cranberries, or currants to enhance flavour and texture.