Sorry it’s been a while again, but one thing that got me through was this amazing best banana bread recipe from Marie Mitchell‘s gorgeous book Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen, which recently won the Fortnum&Mason award for Debut Cookery Book. And deservedly so.
Kin: Caribbean Recipes for the Modern Kitchen
Back in December I was browsing the cookbook shelves of an Amsterdam bookstore and everything struck me as kind of more of the same (this happens when you buy too many cookbooks and follow all the recipes online) until Kin caught my eye. I’d seen it making the rounds online, but when I saw Kin in person I had to have it because it struck me as something so clearly unique. When we got home I read it from front to back and it did not disappoint.
With Kin Marie manages to mix the deeply personal, with both her family and Caribbean history, all while offering original and largely accessible recipes for the home cook. It was such a comforting read and just what I needed at the time. I have since made her best ever banana bread many times, and thought it would be good to share this recipe with you.
Other recipes I really want to make from Kin (but haven’t gotten round to yet because life is life-ing a lot still) are the saltfish fritters, pepper prawns, hake bites, B’s roast chicken (you can never have enough roast chicken recipes), jerk lamb burgers (hello?!), sticky barbecue ribs, naughty pork bites, pumpkin fritters, honey jerk wings, peppered tofu, mojo roast pork, aubergine curry with dark chocolate, the Mitchell curry chicken. You’re catching my drift, I want it all.
Best banana bread (because it is)
Of course if someone titles their recipe the best banana bread (because it is), you’ve got to make it and see if they can put their money where their mouth is. And Marie’s best banana bread truly delivers. It’s so easy and never comes out wrong and is basically my go-to banana bread now. I’ve added in a teaspoon or two of kue lapis legit spice every once in a while for additional oomph, but the recipe on its own is absolutely solid.
Best bananas for banana bread
Everyone knows the best way to use up old bananas is to make banana bread. The best way to end up with old bananas is to chuck any bananas finished too late for eating in the freezer, skin on, which leads to the perfect mushy bananas for baking. This is also the perfect way to end up with a freezer full of bananas.
Lucky for you, you now have the recipe for best banana bread to use them all up. If you’d like to add some variety to your banana bread repertoire I also highly recommend this banana green curry cake, by Christina Tosi, which comes with black pepper butter for additional joy. Nigella’s breakfast banana bread with cardamom and cacao nibs is another excellent contender.
Best banana bread (because it is)
Equipment
- Oven
- Loaf tin 900 g
- Small saucepan
- 2x Medium mixing bowl
- Stand mixer, handmixer or whisk
- Spoon or spatula for folding
Ingredients
- 125 g unsalted butter +extra for greasing
- 100 g dark muscovado sugar see notes
- 2 t vanilla extract
- 3 ripe bananas the riper the better, see notes
- 4 T whole milk semi-skimmed works too, see notes
- 190 g self-raising flour see notes
- 2 t baking powder
- 1 egg beaten
- 10 g 70% dark chocolate roughly chopped, see notes
- pinch sea salt optional, but not really - see notes
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C/ 160°C fan. Grease a loaf tin with butter and line it with parchment.
- Melt 125 g unsalted butter with 100 g dark muscovado sugar and 2 t of vanille extract in a small saucepan on medium-low heat until the sugar has melted.
- In the meantime mash your bananas in a medium mixing bowl (I use my stand mixer for this, with the balloon whisk attachment).
- Pour the melted butter and sugar into the bananas and whisk to combine. Add in the 4 T of whole milk and mix in.
- Combine 190 g of self-raising flour with 2 t baking powder in a separate bowl and mix to combine before slowly incorporating it into the banana sugar butter mixture, until fully combined and then gently fold in the egg until fully combined.
- Pour the mixture into your loaf tin and top with a sprinkling of 10 gr of roughly chopped dark chocolate and sea salt.
- Bake the loaf for 40 minutes to an hour until a skewer comes out absolutely clean. If the loaf looks like it may burn on top before the skewer comes out clean, cover it with foil and continue baking.
- Remove from the oven once a skewer comes out clean and dry. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes and then remove. Be sure to have a warm slice because this best banana bread is absolutely divine while still warm.
Notes
- I've used dark 'basterd' sugar all previous times I've made this, 'basterd' sugar being the closest thing we have to muscovado sugar in the Netherlands (never mind France), but of course I'd run out by the time I was ready to shoot - your banana bread will likely come out darker. For the banana bread pictured I used a light brown 'basterd' sugar
- The easiest way to end up with perfectly super ripe bananas for cooking is to throw them in the freezer -skin on- for a couple of days, they will basically ooze out of their skin
- Marie recommends whole milk but obviously since you only need 4 tablespoons if you already have semi-skimmed or skimmed or oat or whatever in-house, don't go out and buy whole milk especially for this
- Self-raising flours differ per country and I haven't been able to find one in France that works for non-French recipes, so I mix my own: 1 cup (128 g) all purpose flour, 1 1/2 t baking powder and 1/2 t salt. For this recipe I double the amount and am left with extra for next time
- Yes 10 grams of dark chocolate seems like nothing but it makes a huge difference to the final result, feel free to be cheeky and double the amount
- Marie says the pinch of sea salt is optional but I find it's essential for making this banana bread the best, seriously most desserts benefit from a sprinkling of sea salt, try it on your ice cream or on some chocolate mousse when you get a chance
