Hellooooo! I’m definitely a bit behind since the whole banana bread phase of the pandemic seems to have passed, but this one is so good. It’s spicy from the chai, pleasantly dense, a hint of banana, with a delicious cinnamon sugar topping. This one is definitely on the more dense side of the banana bread spectrum, so if you’re looking for a super fluffy, light loaf this might not be the one for you. However, its just so good and, especially with a cup of tea, it’s an awesome bread that’s a bit more than your traditional banana bread.
I do have a few notes and tips for this loaf so you can make it as amazing as it can be. First, chai is my go-to tea and I love the additional flavors it brings to this loaf. I used loose leaf tea and just crushed it in a mortar and pestle, because I love any excuse to use it! You can definitely use tea bags, just cut them open and measure out enough of the leaves, but the flavor of the chai might not be as strong as it was with loose leaf tea.
Another note is about the yogurt in the recipe. I love using Greek yogurt in my baking for the added moisture, but be careful about what kind you’re using – plain or vanilla. Vanilla Greek yogurt has a more sugar than plain, which is tasty, but can make the bread too sweet. If all you have is vanilla, no worries! Just decrease the amount of sugar by 1/4 – 1/3 of a cup and you’ll be good to go.
Also, make sure you’re using some old bananas! They should be all kinds of brown and spotted so the starch that makes up the banana has turned into sugars, making the bananas sweet and mushy and not my favorite for eating, but absolutely perfect for a tasty loaf of bread. I’ve heard that if your bananas are too ripe you can pop them, still in their peel, in the oven for a bit to speed up the process, but I’ve never tried that myself.
If you do make it, let me know what you think!
Banana Chai Bread – makes one loaf
prep time: 10 minutes
cook time: 65-75 minutes
Ingredients
- 250g flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 3 Tbsp loose leaf or bagged chai tea, slightly crushed
- 2 eggs
- 250g sugar
- 226 g plain greek yogurt
- 2 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 Tbsp sugar, for topping
- 1 tsp cinnamon, for topping
How to do it
- preheat oven to 325 and line a loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overlap to help you lift the loaf out of the pan, and spray with baking spray
- combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and tea in a medium bowl. set aside
- in a mixer, combine the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. once pale yellow, add in the remaining wet ingredients: greek yogurt, bananas, and vanilla. mix to combine
- add the dry ingredients, half at a time, to the wet ingredients. mix just until combined, being careful not to over mix
- pour into prepared pan and smooth the top. combine the sugar and cinnamon for the topping and sprinkle over the top of the loaf
- bake until golden brown and puffed up on top and a wooden skewer comes out mostly clean. start checking for done-ness after 60 minutes. you know the bread is done when the internal temperature reaches between 200-205*
- let sit for 5 minutes, then use parchment paper to lift out of the pan and fully cool on a cooling rack
- slice and enjoy!