Aunt Sandy's Christmas Special Banana Bread Recipe - Blend of Bites (2024)

In 1983, Aunt Sandy started baking banana bread in a small bakery in Keʻanae, Maui. The moist, rich, sweet banana bread has become a sensation. After 2003, the small operation became a family business and hasn't stopped since. Aunt Sandy's banana bread stand is now a gastronomic must-stop for tourists and travelers. Aunt Sandy has caught the attention of world-famous chefs and foodies and has been featured in magazines and TV shows.

This specialty gained a well-deserved popularity in time, which led to a demand for a copycat recipe. This Aunt Sandy's banana bread recipe is the closest you can get to the island experience. The moist and decadent banana bread is perfect for any time of the day.

Ingredients

• Bananas — 3 medium-sized, very ripe
• Butter — ½ cups, unsalted and melted
• Eggs — 2 medium-sized
• Vanilla extract — 1 tsp.
• Light brown sugar — 1 cup
• Ground cinnamon — ½ tsp.
• Salt — ¼ tsp.
• Self-raising flour — 1 ½ cups
• Baking soda — ½ tsp.

Instructions

1. For preparation, preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.

2. Grease a 10 x 4.5-inch loaf tin with cooking oil spray. Place a baking sheet in the pan and grease lightly again with cooking oil spray.

3. In a large mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth.

4. Add the melted butter while it’s still hot. Add the baking soda, salt, light brown sugar, and cinnamon, and continue whisking with the fork.

5. Stir in the eggs and vanilla extract when the mixture cools. Beat well with a hand whisk.

6. Add the self-raising flour and whisk until you get a hom*ogenous batter. Pour the batter into the tin.

7. Place the tin into the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 50 minutes. After 40 minutes, check frequently to avoid overbaking. Remove when a toothpick comes out clean.

8. Let the banana bread rest at room temperature for half 20 minutes. After this resting period, place a serving platter over the loaf tin and flip it. Carefully remove the baking sheet.

9. Serve the banana bread in slices.

Substitutions

• Light brown sugar — Light brown sugar helps the banana bread have a dense consistency and a slight caramel taste. But I tried it with regular caster sugar as well. Both work for this recipe.

• Self-raising flour — If you only have all-purpose flour at home, it's okay to use it. But for all-purpose flour, you can also add half a teaspoon of baking powder to the flour mix. Baking soda is a separate ingredient for this recipe, and you need it with or without self-raising flour.

Dietary restrictions

• Gluten-free — Those who are gluten intolerant or on a gluten-free diet can replace regular flour with a gluten-free alternative. If you can find gluten-free flour specially designed for baking, go for it.

• Vegan — For a vegan version of Aunt Sandy’s banana bread recipe, you need to replace egg and butter. It is recommended to use the same amount of vegan butter. Vegan egg powder can substitute eggs for this recipe. For one egg, use a tablespoon of egg powder and mix it with two tablespoons of room-temperature water.

Variations

• Spice it up — You can make Aunt Sandy’s banana bread recipe with spices besides cinnamon. Consider adding a quarter teaspoon of allspice and nutmeg, which work perfectly.

Equipment

• Measuring cups and spoons

• Mixing bowl

• Fork and hand whisk

• 10 x 4.5-inch loaf tin

• Oven

• Baking paper

• Cooking spray

Storage

• You can keep the banana bread in the fridge for up to a week. Allow the banana bread to cool completely at room temperature before storing it in the refrigerator. Keeping the banana bread in an airtight container or covering it with plastic wrap is best.

• Banana bread freezes well, and you can keep it in the freezer for about three months. Remove it from the freezer and let it thaw at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Pro Tips

• Ripen the bananas — Sometimes, finding any ripe bananas at home might be hard. If that's also the case for you, there is a solution. You can ripen the bananas by roasting them in the oven. Set the oven to 350ºF degrees. Place unpeeled bananas apart from each other on a baking sheet. Bake until they are browned on the outside. It generally takes about 15 minutes.

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