In the mood to bake? Craving something starchy and slightly sweet? Satisfy both appetites with this banana cinnamon swirl bread. It’s easy to assemble and, more important, delightful to eat.
While banana cinnamon swirl bread may look quite ordinary, it’s anything but. The loaf has a crisp crust, tender crumb and, best of all, subtle and unexpected fruity flavor. What’s not to love?
Slice, toast and serve banana cinnamon swirl bread with butter and jam for breakfast or a midday pick-me-up. For a more substantial meal, use it to make pain perdu or a nut butter sandwich.
Recipe adapted from Bluebonnet Baker.
Banana Cinnamon Swirl Bread
Makes 1 9"x5" loaf
Ingredients
Dough:
- ½ cup water
- 3 teaspoons active dry yeast
- ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
- ¼ cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 1 ripe large banana, mashed (about ½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2½ cups bread flour
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Filling and finish:
- ½ cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon water
- Demerara sugar (optional)
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In a large bowl, heat water until warm - about 30 seconds in the microwave should do. Add the yeast and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Whisk together until thoroughly combined and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes.
- Add the remaining granulated sugar, yogurt, mashed banana, coconut oil and vanilla extract to the yeast mixture and stir to combine. Add the flour and salt, stirring everything until it comes together to form a shaggy ball. Then knead the dough by hand (or with a dough hook attachment) until it’s smooth and elastic - this will take about 10 minutes (or less if using a stand mixer). Shape dough into a ball and place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover and let it rise until doubled in size, 1-2 hours.
Make the filling:
- In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Shape and bake the loaf:
- Grease a 9"x5" loaf pan.
- After the dough has risen, turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll out dough to a 16"x9" rectangle.
- Sprinkle filling in an even layer over the top of the dough, leaving a 1" border around the edges. Starting at the short end, tightly roll the dough to make a loaf shape. Pinch the seam and ends to seal and transfer to the prepared pan. Cover the loaf with a clean kitchen towel and let it rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
- During the last 15 minutes of rising, preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- When the loaf has doubled in size, brush top with egg wash and sprinkle with the Demerara sugar, if desired.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. If the top of the loaf gets too brown before it is done baking, cover loosely with foil.
- Remove pan from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Then turn out bread onto a wire rack to finish cooling.
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