Christmas is just around the corner and it's an exciting time for us at Pastry Pro because we have so many ideas and recipes to share. That being said, we had to share this Gingerbread Spice Banana Bread recipe first. I know it's a a mouthful to say, but it's worth it.
Just as Hari Raya is marked by ketupat, Chinese New Year by mandarin oranges and Deepavali by murukus, in those ways Christmas just wouldn’t be Christmas without some sort of gingerbread.
We've all heard the fairy tale story of The Gingerbread Man that came to life - a lovely little tale (but not so much for the bread man though). I'll be honest to say, my thoughts of the gingerbread is only limited to that little gingerbread man running away from everyone who wanted to eat it. Which is why as I thought of sharing this recipe, I wondered how did the gingerbread become so entwined and synonymous with Christmas.
Here's what it is:
“The popularity of gingerbread during the holidays can, at least in part, be attributed to the belief that spices heated you up in the winter,” says Michael Krondl, author of Sweet Invention: A History of Dessert. That makes perfect logic in my mind.
I've tasted a good share of gingerbread in all my years but I must say they usually look a lot better than they taste. No offence to the gingerbread and all it's makers but I guess the spice mix doesn't sit too well with my Asian palate. That's just me though.
This banana bread though, with a touch of Dreidoppel's gingerbread spice is unlike the typical gingerbread. The bread is more moist and the spice flavour not overpowering.
Here's the recipe:
Ingredients
• Ripe Bananas - 450 g
• Castor Sugar - 450 g
• Fresh Eggs - 320 g
• Cake Flour - 360 g
• DREIDOPPEL PASTAROM BANANA PASTE - 40 g
• Baking Soda - 24 g
• Oil - 220 g
• Fresh Milk - 230 g
• Aalst Patissier Dark Chocolate Chips - 90 g
• Chopped Walnuts - 60 g
• DREIDOPPEL GINGERBREAD SPICE - 30 g
Methods
• Combine fresh banana and sugar in a mixing bowl and beat till mashed using paddle.
• Gradually add the eggs and Dreidoppel Flavours: Banana Paste and Gingerbread Spice
• Sift dry ingredients, then add into the batter mixture.
• Combine oil and milk, then add into the mixture gradually while mixing
• Add chopped cashew nuts and dark chocolate chips, fold into the mixture , our into mould
• Bake in the oven at 170°C for 35 - 40 minutes
This could be the perfect recipe to test out this Christmas. Let us know how it turned out.