Vegan Banana-Coffee Bread Recipe From Terri Wu

When Terri Wu started at Farallon a dozen years ago, she had, by her own admission, "no idea what I was doing." Prior to starting  at the San Francisco restaurant, she and was co-owner of a bike messenger company.

She began in the savory kitchen and quickly transitioned to the pastry department, which she now leads. A bike accident last summer–and its accompanying six fractured bones–has sidelined the chef for much of last year, but she  used her time away from work wisely, experimenting with vegan desserts, using her vegan brother as a guinea pig. Her vegan banana bread is enriched with nutty flaxseed and whole wheat flour, flavored with coffee and moistened by a combination of oil and vegan mayonnaise.

Recipe adapted from Terri Wu, Farallon, San Francisco

Vegan Banana-Coffee Bread
No Ratings
Banana Bread recipe from Terri Wu.
Prep Time
0
minutes
Cook Time
1
hour
Servings
9
loaf
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
  • Flaxseeds, ¼ cup
  • Coffee, freshly brewed and hot, ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons
  • Canola or grapeseed oil, ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon, divided
  • All-purpose flour, 1 ⅓ cups plus 2 teaspoons, divided
  • Whole wheat flour, ⅓ cup
  • Baking soda, 1 teaspoon
  • Ground cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon
  • Ripe bananas, 4 large or 5 small, peeled
  • Vegan mayonnaise, 2 tablespoons
  • Vanilla extract, 1½ teaspoons
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • Granulated sugar, 1 cup plus 3 tablespoons
Directions
  1. In a coffee grinder or spice mill, grind until fine the: Flaxseeds Add the ground flaxseeds to a medium bowl and use the wooden spoon to stir in the: Hot coffee Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the mixture becomes gelatinous, at least 15 minutes and up to 1 hour.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat the loaf pan with: 1 tablespoon canola oil Add: 2 teaspoons all-purpose flour Shake the pan to coat the bottom and sides. Tap out the excess.
  3. Place 2 large pieces of parchment paper on the counter. Over the sheet, sift together: 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour Whole wheat flour Baking soda Ground cinnamon Repeat sifting the dry ingredients over the second sheet of parchment, then sift a third time onto the first sheet of parchment. Transfer the dry mixture to a large bowl.
  4. In a medium bowl, use the potato masher to mash the: Peeled bananas Use the wooden spoon to stir in the: Vegan mayonnaise Vanilla extract Kosher salt 5. Remove the coffee-flax mixture from the fridge and whisk in the: Granulated sugar Whisk in the remaining: ½ cup oil Use a rubber spatula to fold the flax mixture into the flour mixture until a few dry streaks remain, then fold in the banana-mayonnaise mixture.
  5. Once the batter is completely combined, use the rubber spatula to transfer it to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 40 minutes, and if the top looks dark, loosely cover with a sheet of aluminum foil. Continue to bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean and the center resists light pressure, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and cool completely before running a paring knife around the loaf and inverting it onto a platter. Use the bread knife to slice the banana bread into 1-inch-thick pieces and serve.
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