Thermomix® banana bread is our go-to breakfast loaf when very ripe bananas are left over. We make it as a classic yeasted bread with banana in the dough, not as an American quick bread with baking powder.
The recipe follows the logic of a sweet yeasted dough with a long cold prove. The 12 hours in the fridge develop flavour and make the dough supple. The blended bananas partially replace the liquid and bring natural sweetness.
Thermomix® Banana Bread
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 3 ripe bananas
- 450 grams all-purpose flour
- 60 grams whole spelt flour
- 150 grams milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 packet dry yeast
- 30 grams butter soft
- 70 grams brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 20 g milk
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions 0 / 5
-
1
bananas.
Peel bananas, add to mixing bowl and chop for 4 seconds/speed 6.
- 3 ripe bananas
-
2
dough.
Add the remaining ingredients for the dough, knead for 3 minutes/dough mode, then set aside, cover and let rise for 12 hours.
- 450 grams all-purpose flour
- 60 grams whole spelt flour
- 150 grams milk
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 packet dry yeast
- 30 grams butter
- 70 grams brown sugar
-
3
rise.
Knead the dough again with your hands, form it into 12 balls, place them in a baking dish, cover and let them rise for another 3 hours.
-
4
brush.
Put the egg, milk and salt in the mixing bowl and mix for 10 seconds/speed 10, then brush the dough balls with the egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar.
- 1 egg
- 20 g milk
- 1 pinch of salt
-
5
bake.
Place the pan in the oven, set to 50 °C top/bottom heat, after 30 minutes turn up the heat to 180 °C top/bottom heat and bake for about 45 to 50 minutes.
Tip: If you would like to add a savory topping to your banana bread, skip the sugar mixture on top. This banana bread is freezer friendly.
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Nutrition per serving
Two-stage baking makes all the difference
We do not bake the banana bread at a constant 180 °C like ordinary bread. Instead, we start at 50 °C top and bottom heat for 30 minutes. During this phase the rolls rise one final time without the crust sealing shut. Only then do we switch to 180 °C and bake for a further 45 to 50 minutes.
The reason: yeasted dough needs warmth to rise, but standard baking temperature stops the rise immediately by forming a crust. The 50-degree phase gives the rolls time to join together and rise before the heat ends the process.
Very ripe bananas are essential
The bananas must have brown spots or be completely brown. Unripe or just yellow bananas bring too little sweetness and too much starch. The dough becomes firmer and the banana flavour is absent.
We blend the bananas for 4 seconds at speed 6. This breaks them down evenly without turning them into a completely smooth paste. The consistency should look like coarse mash, not a smooth mass.
Why wheat flour Type 550 and not Type 405
Type 550 has more gluten protein than Type 405. This makes the dough more elastic and gives the yeasted bread the structure it needs. With Type 405 the banana bread is softer but less stable. The 60 g of wholegrain spelt flour adds a nutty flavour but does not replace the main quantity.
The dough is kneaded for 3 minutes on Dough mode. This activates the gluten and makes the dough supple. After kneading, the dough must prove covered in the fridge for 12 hours. Less time does not work because the yeast works slowly in the cold.
Do not skip the second prove
After shaping the 12 rolls they must prove again, covered, at room temperature for 3 hours. This is the second prove. It lets the rolls rise and join together in the tin. Without this stage the rolls stay separate and flat.
After 3 hours the rolls should be touching and noticeably larger. If they have not grown, the room was too cold or the yeast was too old.
Serve sweet or savoury
Brushing with an egg and milk mixture and sugar makes the bread sweeter and gives it a glossy crust. We often skip this when we want to eat the banana bread with savoury toppings. The dough itself is already lightly sweet from the bananas and the brown sugar, but not overwhelmingly so.
The bread tastes best still warm. The crust is then crisp and the inside is light and airy. Spread with butter it is ideal for breakfast. Once cold the crust softens.
Leftovers the next day
The banana bread keeps for 2 days at room temperature in a bread tin. After that it dries out. Freezing works well: place individual rolls in freezer bags and they keep for up to 3 months. To defrost, warm them in the oven at 150 °C for 10 minutes.
Goes well with: Butter, cream cheese and strawberry jam.
More yeasted dough recipes from the Thermomix®: plaited loaf, flatbread, Mediterranean rolls, quick breakfast rolls, chocolate bread or French brioches.
