Double Sesame Banana Bread

 

I've been on a bit of a sesame kick lately. Whenever I find the time to bake, I often have a specific craving -- lately I've been gravitating towards goods that you would rarely find in a bakery (this is inspired by Flour Bakery, which is unfortunately quite far from me). This double sesame banana bread is a twist on the classic banana-walnut combo. It takes the nutty flavor of a walnut and kicks it up a notch with the aromatic, toasty flavor of black sesame, and some earthy tones from the tahini. The result is a banana bread that tastes almost caramelized - not too sweet with a myriad of flavor undertones. 

Double Sesame Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf (9" x 5" pan)

Ingredients:

3 bananas (340g), mashed

210g (1 2/3 cups) all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

120g sugar

50g (1/4 cup) brown sugar

2 large eggs

70g (1/3 cup) vegetable oil

50g tahini

30g Greek yogurt

60g black sesame powder + 5g oil

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9x5 pan with oil.

2. In a large bowl, whip eggs and sugar until light yellow. Whip oil, tahini, and yogurt into the egg mix, then mix in banana mash. 

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Then mix dry and wet ingredients to form a batter. 

4. In a medium bowl, combine sesame powder and oil until paste-like. Add 1/5 of the batter to black sesame bowl. Then, return the black sesame mixture to the batter bowl. Fold twice to create a marbling effect. 

5. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour or until toothpick comes out clean.