Banana Bread

Earlier this year, one of my favourite bloggers, Not Quite Nigella, held a Banana Bread Bake-off! She very nicely allowed those of us without blogs to enter and so I did. This was my entry:


This recipe is a modified version of Margaret Fulton’s recipe for Bran Muffins. The resulting banana bread has a lovely malty flavour which results from the All Bran and a richness from the golden syrup. Including All Bran also means that you can even try to convince yourself that it is healthy!

These loaves freeze really well, so I often make a big batch and then freeze them for our lunch boxes (even though there are only big kids here!)





2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
1 cup All Bran
2/3 cup sultanas
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 tsp salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon mixed spice
1 egg
1 ½ cups buttermilk (or milk soured with white vinegar)
½ cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
¼ cup golden syrup
2 ripe bananas, mashed
Preheat oven to 180°C (if using fan-forced) or 200°C (for no fan).


Sift the flour, soda, salt and spices into a large bowl. Stir in the All Bran, brown sugar and the sultanas.


In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, oil and the golden syrup. Stir in the buttermilk and water and then add the mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir well to combine and then leave in the fridge overnight to allow the All Bran to soften.


In the morning, stir the mixture well and then mix through the 2 mashed bananas. Spoon mixture into greased miniature loaf pans until they are ½ - ¾ full and bake for 18-20 mins.

I think it is best eaten warm smeared with butter, but it is also great sliced when cold and then toasted.

If you do love banana bread, make sure you check out the NQN Bake-Off. There are many different recipes for traditional and more modern versions of this classic.