Vanilla & Black Sesame Swirl Banana Bread

Dry Ingredients

• 1¾ cups + 1 tbsp (215 g) all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp (4 g) baking soda
• 1 tsp fine salt
• ½ tsp (1 g) ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

• ½ cup (100 g) white sugar
• ½ cup (100 g) brown sugar (light or dark)
• 2 large eggs
• 4 tbsp (60 g) buttermilk or Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp vanilla bean paste or extract
• 4 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 475 g peeled), plus ½ banana for the top (optional)
• ½ cup (120 ml) extra virgin olive oil

Black Sesame Swirl

• 3 tbsp black sesame paste
• Optional: black sesame seeds to sprinkle on top

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease or line a 9×5 inch loaf pan.
• Mix dry: whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
• Mix wet: whisk the sugars and eggs until smooth, then stir in the buttermilk (or yogurt), vanilla, mashed bananas and olive oil.
• Gently fold the dry mixture into the wet until just combined (do not overmix).
• Divide the batter in two and mix 3 tablespoons of black sesame paste into one half.
• Pour into the pan, alternating between the plain and black sesame batters. Bake about 55-65 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Rest in the pan 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

Weigh the ingredients in grams for the most consistent result. From Amanda Mahoney-Fernandes on Instagram.