Sesame Banana Bread

I’ve been thinking about making banana bread for months and it finally happened! And I’m so glad it did.

This is not your typical banana bread. My inspiration was Bon Appetit’s Sesame Banana Bread. I actually had both white and black sesame seeds and tahini on hand from other recipes I made recently, so I felt like it was kinda meant to be that I make my own version of this bread. It’s incredibly moist, sweet, nutty and oh so delicious.

One of the keys to successful banana bread is choosing very ripe bananas. See those bananas with all the brown spots? Those are the ones I used for the bread. I did throw out any blackened banana flesh though. You want them overripe, but not rotten.

I really love the sesame-banana combination. The sesame seed paste in the batter gives it a subtle, nutty flavor. Toasted sesame seeds are folded throughout the batter and lots more are sprinkled on top for some great crunch.

As I mention in the directions, I absolutely love banana bread with a spread of softened, salted butter and a drizzle of honey for serving. It’s so so good. I’m also thinking I’ll make banana bread French toast later this week, so don’t be surprised if that’s my next recipe :).

Now, I kind of have banana bread on the brain. Traditional banana nut bread, nutella swirl banana bread, chocolate-almond butter banana bread… which will be next?

Sesame Banana Bread

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• Author: Sabrina Russo
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 1 loaf 1x

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Description

For a twist on the traditional banana bread, try adding sesame. This sesame banana bread is flavored with tahini. Toasted sesame seeds are folded throughout the batter and lots more are sprinkled on top for some great crunch.

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Ingredients

• 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, divided
• 2 tbsp black sesame seeds, divided
• 1 ¾ cups flour
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp salt
• 2 large eggs
• ¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
• ¹/₃ cup vegetable or canola oil
• ¼ cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 4 medium overripe bananas, mashed (1 ½ cups)
• ¼ cup plain yogurt (I used full fat, Greek) or sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

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Instructions

1. Heat oven & prep pan: Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
2. Toast sesame seeds: In a small skillet, add 1 tablespoon each of white and black sesame seeds. Turn the heat to medium and toast the seeds for about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, or until fragrant and the white seeds are lightly golden. Set aside.
3. Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together dry ingredients (flour through salt).
4. Mix wet ingredients: In another bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar until well-combined. Incorporate in oil and tahini. Stir in yogurt, mashed bananas and vanilla.
5. Combine wet & dry: Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients in 2-3 additions until just combined. Do not over-mix. Stir in toasted sesame seeds.
6. Bake: Pour batter into the prepared pan and smooth out the top. Sprinkle the remaining untoasted sesame seeds evenly over the top. Bake on the center rack of the oven for 45-55 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
7. Cool & serve: Cool in the pan for 8-10 minutes, turn out onto a wire rack and allow to cool completely. To make this extra special, I suggest serving a slice of this bread with softened, salted butter and a drizzle of honey. Enjoy.

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• Category: Bread
• Method: Bake
• Cuisine: American, New American

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/10 of loaf
• Calories: 311
• Sugar: 22g
• Sodium: 242mg
• Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Carbohydrates: 46g
• Protein: 5g

Keywords: banana bread, sesame, tahini