Get baking: The search is on to find Australia’s best banana bread

Australia’s going bananas for baking banana bread and the search is on to find the country’s best. Do you have what it takes? Enter now.

Could this be the winning formula.

Move over sourdough, this is the bread Aussies are really going bananas for during lockdown.

It seems more home bakers are monkeying around with banana bread than ever before.

Perennially popular, the cake/bread loaf is the most Googled recipe in the world at the moment and at taste.com.au is second only to chicken in terms of searched terms.

So it’s the perfect time to see which Aussie is the top banana when it comes to baking, with the search to find the Australia’s best banana bread.

Kaleen Christie, with her sons Saxby, 10, and Bowie, 8, with their favourite banana bread. Picture: Nicole Cleary

Australia’s going ape for baking banana bread

Held to celebrate National Banana Day on May 1 the Banana Bread Bake-off will find the best in the land, with big banana bragging rights on offer to the nation’s best baker.

Taste.com.au food director Michelle Southan said banana bread was the ultimate quick-mix, one-bowl wonder recipe perfect to make with kids in the kitchen.

“We all end up with bananas in the fruit bowl ripening too fast, but they are the perfect candidates for this delicious treat. The other great part about banana bread is that it tends to have slightly less butter and sugar which results in a firmer texture, which means you can slice it and pop on a sandwich press or under the grill until toasty – perfect topped with butter and honey.”

Banana bread bakers can enter their best via the Australian Bananas Facebook or Instagram, posting a pic and 25-word description along with #nationalbananaday2020. Entries close May 8.

Nutritionist Susie Burrell will crown the ultimate winner.

“As a dietitian I am always partial to a healthy but tasty spin. (I’m looking for) lots of fruit to enhance the natural sweetness and a crunchy top crust - you simply can’t beat a crunchy top when it comes to banana bread,” she said.

MORE EATING OUT

BANANA BREAD

Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups self-raising flour

1/4 cup plain flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2/3 cup of firmly packed brown sugar

2 overripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly whisked

50g butter

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

METHOD

Step 1

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.

Step 2

Grease an 11 by 21 centimetre loaf pan with melted butter. Line the base and the two opposite sides with baking paper, allowing the sides to overhang.

Step 3

Sift self-raising flour, plain flour cinnamon in a large bowl. Add brown sugar and stir to combine. Make a well in the centre.

Step 4

Combine mashed bananas, milk, two eggs, and melted butter in a bowl. Whisk with a fork until well combined.

Step 5

Pour the banana mixture into the well and stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is just combined. Be careful not to over-stir as this will result in a denser bread.

Step 6

Pour into the prepared pan and smooth the surface with the back of a spoon or a spatula.

Step 7

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Set aside in the pan for 5 minutes before turning onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.

Source: taste.com.au