Banana bread is nutritious and delicious when prepared with the right ingredients. And since nothing is better than homemade bakery goods, here are 5 Jamaican banana bread recipes that will take you (back) to our laid-back island.
Jamaican Banana Bread Recipes
Traditional Jamaican Banana Bread
It takes almost 3 hours to make 24 servings. Although time-consuming, this banana bread perfectly mirrors the Jamaican vibe, using local ingredients. First, you need to start the oven. It has to be preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit when the mixture is ready. You will also need 2 loaf pans of 8×4 inches.
The Bread
To prepare the bread, you will need the following ingredients:
- Softened unsalted butter (2 tablespoons).
- Cream cheese (2 tablespoons).
- White sugar (1 cup).
- 1 egg.
Whisk together the first 2 ingredients until they are puffy, then slowly add the sugar and continue to whisk until incorporated. Do the same with the egg. In a second bowl, sift together the dry ingredients:
- All-purpose flour (2 cups).
- Baking powder (2 teaspoons).
- A pinch of salt.
In a third bowl, mix these ingredients until you create a paste:
- Mashed bananas, preferably overripe ones.
- Milk (half of a cup).
- Dark rum (2 tablespoons) or a few drops of rum flavoring.
- Lime zest (1/2 teaspoon).
- Lime juice (2 teaspoons).
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).
Then, take about one third of the dry mixture and incorporate it into the butter & cream cheese one. Add half of the banana mix as well. Then, sift in a second third of the flour mix, then the rest of the bananas, and the last third of flower. Finally, fold the following ingredients into the dough.
- Pecans (toasted, chopped, ¼ of a cup).
- Flaked coconut (1/4 of a cup).
Pour the whole mixture into the two pans and put it in the oven for about an hour. You will know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the bread is clean of dough. When done, leave it in the pans for about 15 minutes, then place it on a wire rack to bring it to room temperature.
The Topping
While the bread cools down, prepare the topping. Take a small saucepan and place it on the stove over medium-high heat. Then, stir in the following ingredients:
- Brown sugar (1/4th of a cup).
- Unsalted butter (2 teaspoons).
- Lime juice (2 teaspoons).
- Dark rum (2 teaspoons) or a few drops of rum flavoring.
Simmer them down while stirring continuously, until all the sugar is dissolved. It will take about 1-2 minutes. Then, take it off the stove and stir in the pecans and the coconut flakes:
- Pecans (toasted, chopped, 2 tablespoons).
- Flaked coconut (2 tablespoons).
When finished, the bread should be still warm. Spoon the topping over them carefully. You may want to make cuts into the bread if you have topping left. After they cool down to room temperature, place them into the fridge if you want the topping to harden.
Jamaican Banana Bread with Yogurt
For 4 servings of yoghurt banana bread, you will need to first preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Here are the ingredients and the preparation process:
- Flour (2cups).
- Baking soda (3/4 of a teaspoon).
- Salt (1/2 of a teaspoon).
Whisk them together. Then, gather a large bowl and mix together the following ingredients:
- Granulated sugar (1 cup, preferably brown).
- Softened butter (1/4 of a cup).
One at a time, gently blend in:
- 2 large eggs.
- 3 ripe bananas (mashed).
- Yoghurt (1/4 of a cup).
- Dark rum or apple cider (3 tablespoons).
- Vanilla extract (1/2 of a teaspoon).
- Fresh lime juice (1 tablespoon).
- Flaked, sweetened coconut (1 tablespoon).
After that, slowly add the flour mixture in and gently blend it into the batter. It should be done in about an hour or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Jamaican Banana Bread Recipe: The Healthy Version
If you are on a strict diet, try out this healthy, low sugar banana bread recipe. As usual, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare 2 loaf pans of 9×5 inches. Grease them up. For one loaf, you will need:
- Melted coconut oil or high-quality extra-virgin olive oil (1/3 of a cup).
- Honey or maple syrup (1/2 of a cup).
Whisk these 2 together in a bowl. Then, systematically add the following:
- 2 eggs.
- 2 large ripe bananas (1 cup, mashed).
- Milk (1/4 of a cup) – can be replaced with almond milk, etc.
Then, add the following:
- Baking soda (1 teaspoon).
- Vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).
- Salt (1 teaspoon) – optional.
- Ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon).
Finally, gently steer in the flour until the batter is well mixed. You can also add an assortment of roasted nuts and fold the batter around them.
- Whole wheat flour (1 and a half – 2 cups).
- Chopped walnuts, pecans, raisins, banana slices, dried fruit, etc. (raw, 1/2 of a cup) – optional.
Bake for about 50 minutes if you did not add any mix-ins like walnuts, or for about an hour if you did. Plenty of other healthy Jamaican banana bread recipes suggest using yoghurt for a topping. Simply add some honey and raw walnuts, pecans, etc.
Jamaican Banana Bread without Baking Soda
If you don’t have baking powder, try out this simple recipe. Again, you will need to first preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. To prepare this, banana bread, you will need:
- Sugar (1 cup).
- Softened butter (1/2 of a cup).
Mix these two together until fluffy, then add the following ingredients at a time while slowly whisking the batter:
- 2 eggs.
- 3 ripe bananas (mashed).
- Flour (1/2 of a cup).
- Natural vanilla extract (1 teaspoon).
- Nuts (3/4 of a cup) – optional.
- Chocolate chips (3/4 of a cup) – optional.
Then, place the batter into the loaf pans and bake for about an hour. It can be served warm or cold, with a selection of syrups.
Simple Jamaican Banana Bread
If you are in a hurry, you might want to try out one of the easy banana bread recipes. For this simple one, you will need to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Here’s how to make it:
Stir in the following ingredients into a bowl:
- All-purpose flour (2 cups).
- Baking soda (1 tablespoon).
- Salt (1/4th of a teaspoon).
- Ground nutmeg (1 tablespoon).
Then, beat the following ingredients together until they are fluffy:
- Soft butter (1/2 of a cup).
- Brown sugar (3/4 of a cup).
Then, add these:
- 2 eggs (beaten).
- Vanilla extract (1 tablespoon).
And stir in while the whole batter is well mixed. Then, add:
- 5 bananas (large, overripe).
Be careful not to over-mix them. The bananas should be folded into the batter gently, not stirred. Finally, pour the batter into the greased loaf pans and place them into the oven. Bake for about one hour, until a toothpick comes out clean.
Jamaican Banana Bread Muffins
All of these batters can be poured into muffin tins to make some easy banana bread muffins. With each of these recipes, add your extra ingredients of choice like chocolate chips, pecan nuts, coconut flakes, rum, etc. they can be served with an assortment of syrups or mousses.