Masala Chai Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
• 0.5 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
• 0.75 cup brown sugar (packed)
• 1 egg (large, room temperature)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1.5 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 0.5 tsp salt
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 0.5 tsp ground cardamom
• 0.25 tsp ground cloves
• 0.125 tsp black pepper (finely ground)

Steps

1. 1

   Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter or line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal.

2. 2

   In a large mixing bowl, mash the 3 ripe bananas with a fork until mostly smooth but with some small chunks remaining.

3. 3

   Stir the melted and cooled butter into the mashed bananas until well combined.

4. 4

   Add the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla extract to the banana mixture. Whisk until the mixture is smooth and the sugar has mostly dissolved.

5. 5

   In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, and black pepper until evenly distributed.

6. 6

   Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients using a spatula. Mix just until no streaks of flour remain; do not overmix, as this will result in a tough bread.

7. 7

   Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

8. 8

   Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

9. 9

   Remove the pan from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes.

10. 10

    Lift the bread out of the pan using the parchment paper and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

Notes

For an extra chai boost, you can add 1 tablespoon of finely ground black tea leaves to the dry ingredients. This bread stays moist for up to 4 days when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Nutrition per serving

• banana bread
• chai
• masala chai
• baking
• dessert
• snack
• spiced