Cinnamon Chai Banana Bread

An idea came upon me … I wanted to combine two of my most-loved culinary delights: chai and banana bread. For a bit, I pondered, how to do such a thing. Should I somehow steep a strong mixture of chai and add it to the bread? The answer that came to me was pure simplicity. Simply put the TEA in the bread.

So I mixed up my favorite banana bread batter, cut open a dry chai tea bag, emptied the contents into the batter, stirred in a little more spice, baked it up and voila! I had cinnamon chai banana bread. Delightfully simple and delicious.

I made a simple chai glaze by mixing a couple tablespoons of brewed chai with some powdered sugar. Then I savored a slice of my tea-speckled bread with my chai. Mmm … just as I imagined it would be.

Cinnamon Chai Banana Bread

• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
• Yield: 1 loaf of banana bread 1x

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 egg
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
• A pinch of cloves
• 1 chai tea bag or 1 teaspoon loose leaf chai

For the glaze: 2 Tablespoons brewed chai + powdered sugar

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Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 325° F. Spray a 9×5 inch bread pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas, then mix in the sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and egg and stir well until fully mixed.
3. Add the flours, flaxmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt & spices. Open the chai tea bag and empty it into the batter. Stir just until everything is fully mixed and there are no clumps of flour in the batter.
4. Sprinkle with raw sugar and bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a wooden pick or knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool a bit before glazing.
5. If you like, make a chai glaze by putting a couple tablespoons of brewed chai latte in a small bowl and mixing in powdered sugar until it’s a thin glaze. Drizzle it over the bread.

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Notes

I used a Tazo chai tea bag in my recipe. If your loose-leaf chai has any large pieces in it, grind them up with a mortar & pestle or spice grinder before adding to the batter.

RECIPE SOURCE: http://www.sumptuousspoonfuls.com/

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This recipe was shared at Full Plate Thursday, Thursday Favorite Things, Real Food Fridays, Moonlight & Mason Jars, What to Do Weekends, Weekend Potluck, Sunday Dinner and Hearth & Soul Bloghop.