banana cinnamon bread

Can anyone resist the smell of banana bread baking in the oven? I can’t. I’ve been baking this bread at least once a month since we came back from Thailand this July — not only because of the mouthwatering smell that exudes from my kitchen each time I bake it, but most of all thanks to the smile it puts on Jon’s face when he knows he’ll be having banana bread for breakfast the next day! We fell in love with freshly baked banana bread during our honeymoon in Thailand. During the second part of our trip, we stayed at a fantastic hotel on the beach in Khao Lak called The Sarojin, where they have an incredible breakfast concept that I’ve never seen anywhere else in the world — breakfast all day, à la carte, at any time until 6 pm. Yes, you read me right: you can have your pancakes at 9am, 2pm, or even at 4pm. Breakfast at 1pm is more like brunch to me, so rather than settling for just pancakes or eggs we would order a bit of everything to keep us full until the evening — croissants, jams, peanut butter, chocolate spread, eggs, pancakes, waffles and of course, banana bread. We would sit under a parasol with our feet buried in the sand and stuff ourselves to our heart’s content while contemplating the majestic view of the ocean. Ok, I just sounded like a fat cow. Guys, when you’re on your honeymoon you forget all about calorie-counting. Reality hits you when you come home!

The banana bread at The Sarojin was so good that I decided to start baking my own as soon as we moved into our new home. I got the original recipe for this banana bread from one of my mom’s closest friends. When my mom handed it over to me, she referred to it as “the most amazing banana bread ever” and she was right. During the past couple of months, I’ve played around with the ingredients while adding others to come up with my own version. Today, I bring you the final recipe for this amazing (I repeat, amazing) banana cinnamon bread — a.k.a., my (and Jon’s) absolute favorite thing to eat for breakfast.

Are your bananas getting so dark and spotty that you’re even embarrassed to have them still on your kitchen counter? Please don’t throw them away. They might look gross, but they’re at their prime time. They’re the perfect candidates for making banana bread. The best bananas breads are made with the ripest bananas, so the darker and spottier they are, the yummier your banana bread will be.

Even if you don’t plan on eating banana bread during the next week (how could you not!), you can still bake it and freeze it for up to 3 months. If you’re baking it now, it can be kept wrapped in plastic paper or aluminium foil on your kitchen counter for 2 to 3 days, or in the refrigerator wrapped for 4 to 5 days. Beware, however, if you leave it on your kitchen counter — I bet it will be gone by 48 hours!

One month ago: pâte brisée

 

How did your cinnamon banana bread come out? Share photos of your recipe on Instagram by tagging #savormania