My week has been stressful and this oaty banana loaf is one of the most comforting foods to eat. Fresh from the oven with a little butter or lightly toasted with jam, this is a recipe that is adored by everyone. I, like many people, store the odd banana or two in my freezer for banana loaves to be whipped whenever needed.
Bananas from the freezer taste sweeter than overripe ones in the fruit bowl. The water in a banana expands when frozen. When defrosted, the amylase (or sugars) have also expanded in the banana's liquid. Bananas don't have a lot of excess liquid, thus these sugars stay in the pulp. This process makes them taste sweeter and perfect for baking. The oats in this loaf are not prominent in flavour, but they add a slight crumble to the texture.
In our home, we buy the Fairtrade All Good bananas. The price difference is minimal to our budget and yet the farmers at the other end earn a proper wage. They are easily identifiable by their yellow tape around each bunch. You can read more about All Good and their stockists on their websitehere.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 3 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup rolled oats, whizzed in a food processor until moderately fine
- 2 cups flour
- 4 tsp baking powder
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 banana
