Matcha Swirl Banana Bread 🍵🍌
Who knew matcha and banana would be great flavour friends? Not me. Until a friend put me onto this viral Blank Street Banana Bread Latte that made its rounds on social. That’s what inspired me to create this Matcha Swirl Banana Bread…dedicated to all my fellow matcha lovers!
View full printable recipe and step-by-step for Matcha Swirl Banana Bread on saltnpepperhere.com
Ngl this recipe took 4 iterations to get just right. I mistakenly thought I would simply add a swirl of matcha batter to my go-to brown butter banana bread and…done.
Nope.
Test notes ✍️
Batch #1: too banana-y! not matcha-y enough! Matcha batter oxidized to a dismal brown after baking
Batch #2: balanced banana and matcha flavours so one did not overpower the other; switched to a slightly higher quality ceremonial matcha powder for better flavour and colour; switched from brown butter to melted butter but missed the richer flavour from brown butter
Batch #3: back to brown butter (why did I doubt thee); switched from brown sugar to granulated sugar (no molasses) to let banana and matcha flavours shine; lowered baking temp to see if matcha would oxidize less - it did not and yielded a dense wet crumb without proper lift. I was so mad at this batch that I deleted all evidence from my phone in a huff.
Batch #4: the winning recipe for you!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Alas, my kitchen failures are your triumphs!
Hope you love it.
Sonia :)
MATCHA SWIRL BANANA BREAD
Makes one 9” x 5” loaf or 9-10 thick slices.
INGREDIENTS
Wet ingredients:
½ C (114g) unsalted butter
1¾ C (400g) mashed ripe bananas, from 4-5 bananas
½ C (100g) granulated sugar
¼ C (60g) full fat sour cream, not fridge-cold
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Dry ingredients:
2 C (260g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp kosher salt (increase to 1 tsp for Diamond Crystal brand)
For the matcha batter:
4 tsp (7g) matcha powder – note 1
Topping:
2 tbsp course sugar such as turbinado and demerara
1 tbsp softened butter to pipe a center crack (this is totally optional)
METHOD
Heat oven to 350F (180C). Lightly grease and line 9” x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper, with 2" overhang on the long edges.
Brown the butter: Place butter in small pot over medium heat. Cook until foaming and sizzling subside, smells nutty, and there are brown bits at the bottom of the pot when you swirl and tilt the pot. Swirl the pot occasionally and keep a close eye on it to prevent burning. This step takes about 5-8 minutes total. Immediately transfer to large mixing bowl to cool slightly.
In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Add sugar to the cooled brown butter. Whisk vigorously for 1 minute to aerate and help sugar dissolve. Whisk in mashed bananas, sour cream, eggs and vanilla to combine.
Add dry mixture to wet mixture, mixing with a spatula until just incorporated and no hidden pockets of flour mixture remain especially at the bottom of the bowl. Avoid over-mixing. Some flour steaks are okay. Transfer about one-third of the batter back into the smaller mixing bowl.
Holding a small fine-mesh sieve over the smaller portion of batter, add matcha powder through the sieve to remove lumps. Fold matcha powder into batter until fully combined. Again, avoid over-mixing.
Add alternating scoops of yellow and green batters to create a checkerboard pattern in the prepared loaf pan. Aim to divide batter into 2 layers, alternating colours from one layer to the other as well. For each layer, run a butter knife side to side in tight S-shapes from one end to the other to create swirly patterns. I also run it lengthwise in one long “S”. Resist over doing it or the two colours will end up blending together. Lightly even out the top.
To create a nice center crack as the loaf bakes, run the butter knife lengthwise down the center, about halfway deep, leaving ½” at either end untouched. Optional for a deeper crack: place a tablespoon of softened butter in a small ziptop bag, snip a tiny corner and pipe a line of butter over the slit. Sprinkle the top generously with coarse sugar.
Bake at 350f for 55-60 minutes or when a wooden skewer inserted in the center emerges clean or an instant read thermometer reads 180F (82C) in the middle of the loaf. Cool pan on wire rack for 15 minutes, then pull loaf out to fully cool on the wire rack so moisture doesn’t build up making it soggy. To serve, cut into 9-10 thick slices.
Enjoy!
View full printable recipe and step-by-step for Matcha Swirl Banana Bread on saltnpepperhere.com
