Hojicha Banana Bread

Fill your home with the sweet scent of freshly baked Hojicha Banana Bread.

What ingredients are needed to make Hojicha Banana Bread?

Aside from fully ripe bananas, there are a few ingredients that make this Hojicha Banana Bread recipe stand out.

Hojicha Powder: The star ingredient of this recipe is Hojicha Powder. Hojicha Powder is a powdered roasted green tea originating in Kyoto, Japan. The tea brings delicious notes of cocoa and roasted nuts to the banana bread.

Yogurt: The secret to this perfectly moist banana bread is yogurt. Opt for a dairy-free yogurt to make this recipe plant-based and extra flavorful.

Sugar: A combination of both white and brown sugar enhances the natural sweetness of the ripe bananas, and creates an irresistible texture with the additional moisture from the brown sugar.

Tips for making the best Hojicha Banana Bread

1. Mix the Hojicha Powder with sugar and add it into the wet ingredients. This will prevent lumps, as well as infuse the tea powder for a stronger flavor.
2. The best bananas for a banana bread are ones that are very ripe with plenty of brown spots. The darker the banana, the sweeter the Hojicha Banana Bread will be.
3. Be patient as the Hojicha Banana Bread takes a while to bake and might even take longer depending on the type of yogurt used as well as the size and ripeness of the bananas. Start checking after 55-60 minutes, and keep baking until only a few moist crumbs cling to the cake tester.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup white sugar
• ½ cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons Hojicha Powder
• ½ cup (120 ml) neutral oil (plus more for pan)
• ½ cup yogurt (we used dairy-free almond yogurt)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 medium ripe bananas (approximately 1 ¾ cups)
• ½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F (180° C).
2. Grease a loaf pan with a splash of oil.
3. Line the loaf pan with parchment paper by cutting a rectangle large enough to cover the bottom of the pan and hang over the sides. Press to flatten.
4. Into a large bowl, add 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix to combine and set aside.
5. Into a medium bowl, add ¼ cup of white sugar, ½ cup of brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of Hojicha Powder. Mix well until the Hojicha Powder is blended with the sugar.
6. Add ½ cup (120 ml) of neutral oil, and stir to dissolve the tea powder and sugars.
7. Add ½ cup of yogurt and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Mix well until no clumps remain.
8. Mash 3 medium ripe bananas with a fork or potato masher until mostly smooth, and add them into the bowl.
9. Stir the wet ingredients, and add them into a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
10. Use a spatula to gently fold the batter until just combined.
11. Fold in the toasted and chopped walnuts.
12. Pour the thick batter into the prepared loaf pan, and smooth the top.
13. Bake for approximately 1 hour or until a cake tester comes out nearly clean with just a few crumbs.
14. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
15. Once completely cooled, slice and serve the freshly baked Hojicha Banana Bread with a comforting hot The star ingredient of this recipe is hojicha latte.