Over the winter, I was pumping out loaves of this Coconut Banana Bread like mad. It’s the perfect wintertime treat – sweet, satisfying, decadent in the right ways, clean and nourishing in the others. Spring, summer, new fruits appear more readily than bananas that travel a long way to be available for us, so the bread has long since disappeared from the pastry case at the Rapha Clubhouse here in Boulder. But for equally as long, I’ve been asked for the recipe. And, for months I’ve hesitated writing it up because…I’m just not making it the same way I will in the winter when bananas become covetable again. But, I had a few bananas hanging out in the freezer, and this was just the thing for a long bike ride in the mountains…so I put in a few final tweaks to mix-ins and flour ratios and at last, I’m ready to share this favorite version with the world. (Since I’m sure you all have a few bananas lurking in your freezer too!)
It’s worth mentioning here that baking for Rapha Boulder is unlike any other baking gig a pastry chef could have – one I hope never to let go of. Each week, I pump out a healthy (but not nearly full-scale bakery’s worth) of pastries for our little community there, and within reason there’s LOTS of space to be creative – to craft treats and sweets that fit in jersey pockets, that last longer than a single day (since I bake every other day,) and that speak equally well to guests coming in to just kick it with friends, and to sate their souls after a long ride. There’s no other place that is simultaneously concerned with what would be PERFECT for a long ride, and a long lunch with friends. And frankly, that’s exactly what I’m concerned with. (For example, decadent chocolate chip cookies are cool like that – they’re “just the thing” on so many occasions.)
This Coconut Banana Bread with Ginger + Cacao Nibs is also good like that: just “The Thing.” For pockets, for visiting friends, for housewarming gifts, for brunch at home, for a comforting snack toasted just a bit and then slathered with butter or raw honey. It’s vegan and can be made gluten-free with a quick flour swap, it comes together quickly and pops out of the oven impressively with a toasty whole banana on top, crusted with toasty seeds on the sides.
I designed this loaf to be tender but sturdy when sliced up and slid into jersey pockets, sweet but not cloying, and not to be so simple as to just contain chunks of chocolate (though you could play it that way.) I love the chunks of ginger with the buttery coconut undertones, and the subtle crunch of the cacao nibs baked right in.
Enjoy, all you askers, and bake away! This one was for sure worth the wait.
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