This quick bread, adapted from a recipe on the blog Tutti Dolci, is one of my all-time favorites. It has a decadent streusel topping, a marzipan-like almond flavor, a hint of citrus, and sour, tangy bursts of fresh cranberry. Mashed banana, which I substituted for about half the sugar in the original recipe, yields a tender, subtly sweet bread.
Banana Cranberry Bread
Adapted from Tutti Dolci’s Cranberry Streusel Bread
Streusel Topping
½ cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Bread
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 banana, finely mashed
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure almond extract
1 cup cranberries (fresh or frozen)
Prepare the streusel: In a small mixing bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, and flour. Stir in melted butter with a fork until a crumbly mixture forms. Set aside. If preparing in advance, freeze until ready to use.
Prepare the bread: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving a 2-inch overhang (if you don’t have parchment paper, grease pan and dust with a little flour.)
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, toss cranberries with 1 tablespoon of flour mixture. Set aside.
In a large bowl, mix butter, banana, yogurt, egg, orange zest, and almond extract until smooth. Add flour mixture until just incorporated, then stir in cranberries until evenly distributed.
Bake: Transfer batter to prepared loaf pan, and bake for 60-65 minutes until exterior is golden brown and a toothpick or fork inserted into the middle contains only a few crumbs. Let cool for 15 minutes, then lift from pan by edges of parchment paper. Once fully cool, store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Baker Without Borders 