Tahini Banana Bread

Tahini adds a lovely toasty nuttiness to this satisfying, nut-free loaf cake. Tahini and bananas are a match made in heaven! With a nut and peanut allergy, I’ve missed out on a lot of the baked goods in this world – baklava, macarons (although I’m working on a solution for that, stay tuned!), many Christmas desserts, almost all Italian, French, German, Eastern European baked goods… Another one people seem to love is banana walnut bread. I can’t say I know what walnuts taste like (except panic), but I thought it was worth finding a way to experience that banana-y, nutty flavor. So, I came up with this recipe and, if I may say so myself, it’s delish! And, not requiring any creaming, this recipe can be made entirely by hand, without having to drag your mixer out.

Tahini Banana Bread

Servings: 10
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60-70 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
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Tahini is becoming easier to find in grocery stores – it’s usually next to the peanut butter. I use Soom Tahini, which is perfectly creamy and doesn’t have the excessive bitterness or oiliness that can sometimes creep in. Let your bananas ripen until they are soft with brown spots but if they’re black, you’ve let them go too far! Freezing the bananas helps when reducing them to concentrate their flavor, just make sure to remove the skins before freezing in a ziptop bag! Although it adds a little extra time, the step of reducing the bananas is worth it to ensure a bold banana flavor. The funky, molasses notes of dark brown sugar pair brilliantly with tahini, but you can use light brown sugar if that’s all you have.

Ingredients

5 frozen bananas, defrosted
¹/₂ cup (8 tablespoons) tahini
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
³/₄ cup, packed, dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¹/₄ teaspoon baking soda
¹/₄ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350º F. Butter a 9×3″ loaf pan.

In a medium saucepan, bring the defrosted bananas (along with any juices from defrosting) to a boil over medium heat. Turn the heat to low and simmer to reduce, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. Slightly mash the bananas as you stir. Reduce until there is no liquid pooling on top and the texture is thick and pudding-like, about 20 minutes. The reduced bananas should measure one cup.

Allow bananas to cool. Stir the tahini before measuring to ensure that it is smooth and any solids that settled on the bottom of the container are incorporated. Add tahini, eggs, and vanilla to the cooled banana mixture and stir in evenly.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Make sure there are no lumps of brown sugar, sifting if necessary. Make a well in the center and add the banana mixture. Stir in the flour until it is just incorporated – the batter will be quite thick and sticky.

Pour into prepared loaf pan and spread out evenly. Sprinkle the top prettily with toasted sesame seeds. Bake 60-70 minutes, until a tester comes out clean.

Cool for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the loaf to loosen and remove bread from pan. Allow to cool further before slicing and serving.