Rye Banana Bread

This recipe is an offshoot of a buckwheat banana bread recipe that I developed but never published in 2022. There were many feelings of apprehension attached to that version of the recipe. At the time, I was dealing with the fallout of several interpersonal changes that left a taste of grief and humiliation so profound in my mouth that it obscured every morsel of knowledge I had accumulated about baking, and therefore, about myself. My feelings of immense insecurity convinced me that it was best to keep this recipe somewhere dark, damp, and unreachable until, about three years later, I rebuilt a sense of trust within myself both as a baker and all of who I am outside of that. 

Over the course of the last three years, I’ve revisited this recipe time and again as a means towards redemption. Each iteration has reflected who I’ve been and what I wanted from a recipe (read: life) in that point in time. In one of these instances, I decided to substitute the buckwheat flour for rye because of the malted flavor that the latter imparts. The rye paired incredibly well with the sweetness of the overripe bananas and, to my surprise, much better than the buckwheat flour. The latest change I’ve made to this recipe is transitioning from imperial measurements to the metric system of weight–a change I’ve wanted to implement since late last year. I’ve decided to use weight, specifically grams, for my recipes from this point on because in addition to the general benefits that baking by weight provides, it has become apparent to me that a recipe is as much a reflection of the past as it is a mirror into the future.

Recipes that use the metric system are more accurate because measuring by weight eliminates the need to consider the variations of scooping and packing ingredients when using cups. This leads to more consistent, professional results and reduces discrepancies for the home baker. With the ever-increasing rise of food costs, using the metric system better ensures a successful and enjoyable baking experience while also minimizing potential food waste and reducing clean-up time. This change is also a direct reflection of the general direction I want LazyLvndr to head towards. In the long term, I’d like for this site to be a trusted place for thoughtful baking recipes that empower home bakers and their imaginations to alter these recipes in any way they see fit. Again, the metric system helps to streamline this process a little bit more because adjusting ratios is easier to understand numerically.

Looking back over the last couple of years, I’m able to reflect how in the process of developing this recipe, including its first iteration, gradually redeemed the parts of myself that felt too inadequate and mediocre to produce anything worthwhile. With each alteration, I slowly chipped away at the confines I had inadvertently set around my mental and physical capabilities that allowed me to arrive to this version of the recipe I feel honored and happy to share. Switching to the metric system feels like the first stitch that weaves together both my professional and personal goals as a baker. For me, baking has exemplified that even the slightest change is still a sign of life. I want anyone who decides to make my recipes to keep this in mind and heart, and alter any recipe to reflect who they are or who they may want to be. 

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Rye Banana Bread

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Keyword: Banana Bread, Maple Syrup, Rye Flour, Whipped Butter

Author: Shawn

Ingredients

For the rye banana bread:

• 70 g walnuts
• 120 g all-purpose flour
• 90 g rye flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp kosher salt
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 90 g brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 110 g neutral oil
• 265 g overripe mashed bananas about 3 medium bananas
• 120 g whole greek yogurt
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 ½ tsp turbinado sugar optional

For the whipped maple brown butter:

• 226 g unsalted butter room temperature
• 75 g real maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp maple extract optional
• ½ tsp kosher salt

Instructions

For the banana bread:

• Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease a 9 x 5” loaf pan with butter. Set aside.
• In a pan over medium-low heat, toast the walnuts until warm to the touch and fragrant. Remove from the pan and allow to cool for five minutes. Give them a rough chop and set aside.
• In a large bowl, sift together the all-purpose flour, rye flour, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt. Add the walnuts and stir until the walnuts are evenly distributed throughout the flour mixture. Set aside.
• In a separate bowl, whisk the sugars and eggs together until well combined.
• Add the oil and whisk until the oil is well incorporated.
• Add the mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla to the egg mixture. Whisk until all of the ingredients have been thoroughly combined.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently stir until just combined. Do not over mix the batter, as agitating the gluten in the all-purpose flour will make the bread chewy.
• Evenly pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and sprinkle the turbinado sugar evenly over the top.
• Bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Then, place it on a cooling rack and allow to rest for another 30 minutes before slicing into it. In the meanwhile, make the whipped maple brown butter.

For the whipped maple brown butter:

• Prepare a large bowl with an ice bath and place a smaller bowl on top of the ice bath. Set aside.
• In a pot over medium heat, melt the butter. With a heat proof spatula or wooden spoon, stir the butter frequently as it begins to brown. The butter will begin to melt and foam, then the foam will form smaller bubbles. As the butter begins to emit a nutty aroma, continue to cook and stir the butter, until the butter develops a brown color. Remove from the heat and immediately transfer into the small bowl on top of the ice bath.
• Stir in maple syrup, vanilla extract, maple extract, and kosher salt.
• Whisk the butter constantly until it reaches a whipped consistency and is lighter in color.
• Serve with a slice of rye banana bread or any other bread of your choosing. Store the rest in an airtight container. It should keep in the fridge for about a week.

Enjoy! <3