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Recipe

A Bite To Eat With Alice: Bits-and-bobs banana bread

Prep time: 
15
Cook time: 
65
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
10
Freshly baked banana bread with chocolate and walnuts, sliced and served on a blue plate.

Slice it fat or thin and even pop it in the toaster for some extra crunch, this banana bread's a sure crowd-pleaser. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Alice Zaslavsky is the host of A Bite To Eat with Alice, weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV and anytime on ABC iview. Alice is the resident culinary correspondent for ABC News Breakfast and ABC Radio, a food literacy advocate, bestselling cookbook author, and creator of Phenomenom, a free digital toolbox helping teachers slip more serves of veg into the curriculum.

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Alice is baking up something special for Nornie Bero — her bits-and-bobs banana bread, inspired by Nornie's time spent working on a banana plantation. 

Bananas, butter, brown sugar, caster sugar, and yoghurt arranged on a wooden surface, ready for making banana bread.

The secret to a flavour-packed banana bread? Ripe bananas and a mix of sugars for the perfect balance of sweetness. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

This gluten-free loaf is packed with ripe bananas, toasted walnuts and dark chocolate, making it a guilt-free guilty pleasure. With buckwheat flour and almond meal, it's naturally wholesome, while still feeling indulgent. 

Banana bread batter mixed in a metal bowl with a spatula, ready to be poured into a baking tin.

A thick and chunky banana bread batter — loaded with chocolate, nuts and ripe bananas — make for the perfect loaf. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Whether you slice it thick or thin, eat it fresh or toasted, this banana bread is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!

Freshly baked banana bread with caramelised banana slices on top, cooling on a wire rack.

Golden brown, moist, and packed with flavour — this banana bread is a real treat, with caramelised bananas on top adding extra sweetness. (ABC TV: Wesley Mitton)

Tips
  • Use overripe bananas: The browner, the better! They bring natural sweetness and a richer banana flavour.
  • Don't worry about a fluffy batter: This is a ‘bread’ rather than a cake, so the mixture doesn't need to be light and airy.
  •  It's okay if the mixture looks split: Once you add the flour, everything comes together perfectly.
  • Soft butter is key: Ensure your butter is at room temperature for smooth mixing.
  • Swap out the buckwheat flour: Any other nut meal will work just as well.
  •  Use any chocolate you like: Dark, milk, or even white chocolate — whatever suits your taste!

Here’s the full list of recipes from Season 2 of A Bite To Eat With Alice.

This recipe appears in A Bite to Eat with Alice, a new nightly cooking show on ABC iview and weeknights at 5pm on ABC TV.

A Bite To Eat With Alice: Bits-and-bobs banana bread

Prep time: 
15
Cook time: 
65
Skill level: 
Low
Serves: 
10

Ingredients

Method

  1. Place the walnuts onto a baking tray and into a cold oven, then crank the oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced) for approximately 8—10 minutes. Pull the walnuts out once they're toasted, roughly chop and set aside. 
  2. Grease and line the base and sides of a 10cm x 25cm loaf tin with baking paper. 
  3. In a medium bowl, roughly squash 2 large bananas with the back of a fork and set aside. 
  4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place the yoghurt, butter and sugars and beat for 3 minutes until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well in between each addition to incorporate, scraping down the bowl occasionally.  Remove the bowl from the mixer, then add sifted buckwheat flour and bi-carb soda, then almond meal, salt and mixed spice over the egg mixture. Using a spatula, fold in the dry ingredients until combined well, then stir in the squashed banana, walnuts and chocolate. 
  5. Spoon the batter into the prepared tin and slice the extra banana in half lengthways. Place over the batter, sprinkle with salt flakes and pop in the oven to bake at 180°C for 50 minutes, or until the skewer comes out clean. 
  6. Leave to cool completely in the tin on a wire rack (to keep from sweating underneath!). 
  7. Store in an air-tight container for up to 4 days. This loaf freezes well too (and is worth slicing beforehand). 
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