Brown Sugar Hojicha Banana Bread
Lindsey Baruch
Test Kitchen-Approved
"Hojicha is a Japanese green tea that’s been roasted over charcoal. It has a deeply nutty and almost smoky flavor with a little hint of sweet chocolate. In powder form, it’s highly concentrated, and I just knew it would pair really well with bananas. Enter hojicha banana bread. The tea caramelizes with the bananas and the vanilla beautifully, so much so that my dad has said (many times) that this is the best banana bread he’s ever had. I have to agree!" - Lindsey Baruch, from her book Something Delicious
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick/ 4 ounces/115g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1⁄2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1⁄2 cup (100g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 1⁄2 cups (about 400g) mashed bananas (about 4 very ripe bananas)
- 1⁄2 cup (about 120g) whole-milk
- Greek yogurt or mascarpone
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon hojicha tea powder
- 1 teaspoon (5g) baking powder
- 1 teaspoon (6g) baking soda
- 1⁄2 teaspoon (1.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 1⁄2 cups (180g) all-purpose flour
Hojicha Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, nondairy milk, or water
- 1 teaspoon hojicha tea powder
- 1⁄2 teaspoon (1.5g) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Directions
To make the Banana Bread
- Step 1
Preheat your oven to 325°F. Butter a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan. (I will just borrow a teaspoon or so of the butter from the batter.) Line the pan with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the long edges so that the baked loaf is easier to remove.
- Step 2
In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar and use a large spoon or flexible spatula to mash until completely combined.
- Step 3
Add your mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla and mix well until you have a smooth and wet batter. It is okay if there are some banana lumps here, but you shouldn’t be seeing any white streaks from the yogurt.
- Step 4
Add your hojicha tea powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix well until your batter is formed. Gently fold in your flour until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Step 5
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, spreading it evenly. Lightly tap the pan against the counter to remove any bubbles.
- Step 6
Transfer to the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes. You can also test doneness by inserting an instant-read thermometer; it should read 200° to 206°F.
- Step 7
Let the banana bread cool in the pan for about 10 minutes and then loosen gently from the sides of the pan. Using the parchment strip, lift the bread from the pan and carefully transfer onto a cooling rack to cool completely, 45 to 50 minutes.
To make the Hojicha Glaze
- Step 1
While your banana bread is cooling, in a medium bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, milk, hojicha powder, and salt. Your glaze shouldn’t be too runny or too thick, but a nice drizzle. Adjust with more milk if needed to reach your desired consistency.
- Step 2
Drizzle the glaze over the banana bread before slicing.