Banana Crumb Bread

For this banana bread, inspired by my all-time favorite from The Moosewood Cookbook, I replaced a portion of the flour with fine dry bread crumbs. The crumbs I used were from a slightly sweet oatmeal molasses bread, but any crumbs should work if your banana is good and ripe.

I’m sending this to Frankie (Tartine Bread Experiment), with many thanks for guest hosting YeastSpotting next week.

Banana Crumb Bread

Yield: one loaf

Time:

• Mix : 10 minutes
• Bake: about 50 minutes

Ingredients:

• 94 grams olive oil
• 170 grams honey
• 105 grams (2 large) eggs
• 125 grams flour
• 3 grams (1/2 teaspoon) salt
• 0.9 grams (1/4 teaspoon) baking soda
• 6.8 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) baking powder
• 0.3 grams (1/4 teaspoon) nutmeg
• 2.5 grams ( 1 teaspoon) cinnamon
• 213 grams dry, finely ground bread crumbs
• 264 grams very ripe banana, mashed (about 3 or 4 bananas)
• 116 grams strong coffee
• 3 grams grated orange zest (from 1/2 small orange)
• 6.7 grams (1 1/4 teaspoons) vanilla extract
• 1.3 grams (1/4 teaspoon) almond extract
• sesame seeds for finishing

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. Generously butter an 8.5 x 4.5-inch loaf pan. Coat the inside of the pan with sesame seeds.
3. Beat the olive oil, honey, and eggs together until they lighten in color.
4. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Stir the bread crumbs into these dry ingredients.
5. In another medium bowl, combine the banana, coffee, orange zest, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
6. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the banana mixture to the honey mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. After each addition, mix well to combine.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the top with sesame seeds.
8. Bake for about 50 minutes, until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf returns clean.
9. Cool on a wire rack.