Earl Grey Glazed Banana Bread

Recipe No. 15

Hello. It’s Sunday night where I am in the world. It’s 9pm and I’m in bed wit my cinnamon scroll candle lit. I haven’t really had the desire to do much this weekend. I said no, to outings. Stayed in. Watched movies. Read a few pages and turned over to scroll on my phone. Quickly distracted and easily bored of what I was viewing on my phone. So I put my phone down for longer periods of time and it was nice. I painted. I would say I read a few pages of the book Circe. Good, so far. Oh and I baked. I baked cookies. A lot of cookies. Orange poppy seed cake and loaf variations. Some delicious. Some a work in progress. Anyway, this piece is sharing my go to banana bread recipe. Nights after work, I would test this recipe over and over again. Until, I reached one I loved and still adore. It’s a spiced loaf heavy on the cinnamon. The glaze is so elegant. A earl grey tea cinnamon glaze. I love the comfort of the earl grey in the glaze. It adds to the banana bread so nicely. Here it is.

The ingredients should make a standard loaf pan.

Banana Loaf:

• 3 large very ripe bananas

• 350g plain flour

• 100ml neutral oil (such as sunflower or vegetable oil)

• 100ml soy milk

• 150g light brown sugar

• 14g (4.5 tsp) baking powder

• 12g (6 tsp) ground cinnamon

• 1g (½ tsp) ground nutmeg

• 1g (½ tsp) ground allspice

• 1g (¼ tsp) salt

Earl Grey Glaze:

• 300g icing sugar

• Freshly brewed Earl Grey tea (added by teaspoon gradually to achieve desired thickness)

• 5ml (1 tsp) fresh lemon juice

• 1.5g (¾ tsp) ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 170°C (338°F). Grease and line a standard loaf pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and salt. Use a hand whisk to mix everything together to evenly distribute the dry ingredients and aerate the mixture. Don’t over mix plsss.

In a separate bowl, mash the bananas until mostly smooth. Stir in the neutral oil until well combined.

Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture using a whisk or spatula. You do not need an electric mixer or stand mixer to combine. Slowly pour in the soy milk while folding, ensuring the batter remains thick but pourable. If it seems too thick, add a small splash of extra soy milk.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Place in the preheated oven and bake for 50–55 minutes, or until a wooden skewer inserted into the highest part of the loaf comes out clean.

Allow the loaf to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

While the loaf is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, sift the icing sugar to remove any lumps.

Brew a strong cup of Earl Grey tea using fresh leaves or a high-quality tea bag. I used loose leaf earl grey. Let it cool slightly, then slowly add it to the icing sugar, a teaspoon at a time, whisking until you reach a smooth, pourable consistency. Stir in the lemon juice and ground cinnamon.

Once the loaf is fully cooled, drizzle the Earl Grey glaze generously over the top, allowing it to drip down the sides. Let the glaze set for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. I like to keep the glaze thick so it doesn’t run over the loaf.

Mmmm comfort me now. I need a hug. I’ll go for the bb bby any day of the week.

I have an instagram reel that goes through the steps of this recipe! @ardsydney_

Christiana