Melissa Jasmine’s Ridiculously DELICIOUS Vegan Banana Bread
When we talk about comfort food, a classic banana bread is easily up there in the top ten.
Its versatility makes it the ideal breakfast go-to, an afternoon snack to curb that sweet craving or a warm dessert to end the evening with.
I asked and begged Melissa Jasmine, the brains behind vegan bakehouse, Jasmine’s Flour, for her very own recipe and the secrets of what truly what makes the ultimate banana bread.
What is the difference between banana bread tasting good and tasting great?
MJ: Well, this might seem obvious, but what makes a great banana bread are the bananas themselves.
You want to make sure your bananas are overripe since that is when they are at their sweetest.
When bananas are nice and sweet you don’t need to rely too much on sugar to bake with.
Cinnamon is a nice addition too, not too much so that it overpowers the flavour of the banana but just enough it compliments it.
When your bananas are a little overripe, they’re also much easier to mash and give a nice texture to the bread which is something else that makes a banana bread great, consistency.
Remember it’s still a bread, so you want to avoid making the texture too cake-like. If you’re using a stand mixer, I would suggest mixing for only a minute or so, then finish mixing by hand.
It’s easy to get carried away when using a stand mixer however, this can run the risk of over-mixing preventing the texture of your bread from being light.
What tips would you give to someone who has never made a banana bread before?
MJ: Banana bread is the best way to start baking if you’re not a confident baker in general.
It requires such little prep, and the ingredients are so simple you might find you already have them stored in your kitchen.
Once you are confident and happy with baking a standard banana bread, you can start having more fun with toppings which can be nice if you have friends’ round or if you are baking as a gift to someone.
For example, a favourite at Jasmine’s Flour is the Chocolate & Banana Biscoff Bread where we add chocolate chips into the bread, layer a chocolate ganache on top finishing with a crumbling of Lotus Biscoff biscuits, so delicious!
Not the healthiest, I admit lol, but customers go crazy for it, it’s a little slice of indulgence for them.
Why make it vegan?
MJ: Why not? Although I’m not a vegan myself, at the time of creating Jasmine’s Flour there was a big boom in the vegan industry and more people were becoming conscious of what they ate, this included dairy.
It was important for me that as many people as possible were able to enjoy my cakes whether they consumed dairy or not, by creating vegan cakes meant more people could experience being a customer of Jasmine’s Flour.
I also enjoy the challenge; I find the fun in turning typically dairy rich cakes in to non-dairy treats, and as long as there is no compromise on the taste or texture they more or less taste the same.
What’s your favourite way of eating banana bread?
MJ: The best way for me personally to enjoy banana bread is when it has not long come out of the oven, when it’s soft, a little gooey but crispy on the edges.
That’s the bread at its peak.
If you still have bread leftover one or two days after it may not be as soft, I would suggest you toast a slice and adding some berries and yoghurt, This is an exciting alternative to simple slices of toast and butter for a breakfast or brunch.
Another idea for dessert, toast a slice and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top *chefs kiss*
Where can readers find you?
MJ: I have recently relaunched my website into a recipe blog where I share how to make the most delicious vegan cakes and treats. You can find them at www.jasminesflour.co.uk.
I’m really into Tiktok at the moment, I often post there but I do sometimes return to Instagram too, with both you can find me @jasminesflour.
And lastly, but more importantly, can we have the recipe?
MJ: Of course! Everything you need are as follows…
Dietary Info: Vegan
Prep Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 60 mins
Ingredients:
280g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 bananas (mashed)
100g soft brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup of sunflower oil
1 cup of plant milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
Method:
Preheat the oven to gas mark 4/180
Using a fork mash the bananas in a mixing bowl, then add the sugar, oil and vanilla extract then set aside
In a separate bowl, sieve the flour, baking powder and cinnamon
Add 1/4 of the plant milk and a 1/3 of the flour mixture to the banana mix repeating the process while stirring in between and combining until everything is blended together
Line a loaf tin with parchment paper, and pour the mixture into the tin
Bake for 45-60 minutes. Check to see if the bread is done sticking a skewer in the middle (you can use a fork) if the skewer comes out clean, it is cooked, if not leave for a little longer.
Delicious on it’s own or add yoghurt and walnuts as a breakfast idea
More tips and advice
To turn it into a chocolate chip banana bread, add 100g of vegan chocolate chips and fold into the mixture once all other ingredients have been added
In the rare occasion you struggle to eat all of the bread within 48 hours, slice and freeze for up to 30 days to avoid waste.
