How to make good feckin’ banana bread (Irish recipe)

If there is one food that defines 2020, its got to be banana bread. Here is how to make a good feckin’ banana bread, the Irish way.

Whoever came up with the banana bread idea is a legend in our books – what a delicious accompaniment to an Irish cuppa!

Of course, there are a million and one ways to make banana bread, so the kitchen experiments are endless.

Whether you want to make simple and easy banana bread, chocolate chip banana bread, or turn the banana bread mixture into some yummy muffins, it’s all relatively easy to do, and everyone will love them.

Here we love all things Irish, so we have the best Irish recipe for you, and we will show you how to make good feckin’ banana bread, the Irish way.

History – where did banana bread originate from?

Have you ever wondered from where banana bread originated, and why? Well, of course, there are hundreds of recipes for the dessert nowadays, but it actually originated in the United States around the 1930s.

Just like many other recipes from the 1930s that were created using leftovers, banana bread was no different; in fact, the older the bananas are, the better they are for using to make the bread.

Bananas were very costly during the Great Depression, so housewives came up with a way to use the overripe bananas, which became very popular worldwide.

With the ready availability of baking powder, the recipe became even more widespread and was introduced into many cookbooks in the States.

Believe it or not, the dessert even has its own national day just like Pancake Day, which is on 23 February. So we can only imagine how much banana bread is consumed on that day.

Many people opt for the traditional recipe, but others opt for banana nut bread, banana raisin bread, and banana bread muffins, which are all great options.

Waste-free – use up those overripe bananas

This is a great way to use up some bananas that are getting old, and all the other ingredients are generally found in the cupboard if you like to bake, so why not give it a try.

To save you some time, we have made it our mission to find the best banana bread recipe in Ireland, so we could share it with you.

Rozanna Purcell, the author of the Irish cookbook Natural Born Feeder, loves a good banana bread recipe, so much so that you’ll find many variations to choose from. However, we absolutely love her Marbled Banana Bread recipe.

So let’s get to the best recipe. Well, Rozanna Purcell has undoubtedly hit the nail on the head when it comes to baked goods, and this marbled banana bread is the absolute bee’s knees if you ask us.

This recipe is easy, full of healthy ingredients, and can be an excellent alternative for snacking paired with a cuppa, or even as a quick breakfast snack. So here’s what you’re going to need:

Ingredients – everything you’ll need to make a good feckin’ banana bread

• 80g ground almonds
• 3 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbsp milled flax (mixed with 3 tbsp water and soaked for 15 minutes)
• 140g oats blitzed into a flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 3 spotty bananas, mashed
• 1.5 tbsp cacao powder
• A handful of chocolate chips
• 50g chopped pecans or walnuts

Method – how to make a good feckin’ banana bread

According to Natural Born Feeder, you will need to do the following to get that epic banana bread of dreams.

1. Preheat your oven to 180⁰C (350⁰F).
2. Combine the mashed bananas, oats, ground almond, baking agents, coconut, maple, vanilla, and flax.
3. Half the mix and stir the cacao into one half.
4. Add the chocolate chips into the chocolate half and the pecans into the plain half.
5. Prepare a baking tin with parchment paper and load in the batter in sections adding 1/3 of the plain mix, then 1/3 chocolate, and so on until all the batter is used up.
6. Using a knife, swirl the bread in a figure of an eight shape a couple of times.
7. Bake in the oven for 1 hour.
8. Let cool fully before slicing and enjoy. Keep in an airtight container in a cool place or the fridge for up to four days.

The Irish love their food so whether you have some overripe bananas to get rid of or just fancy a bit of an experiment in the kitchen, this is a must-try all Irish recipe from an all Irish cookbook. Just don’t eat it all at once!

Credit: Natural Born Feeder