the idea came to me in the shower - banana bread, but it’s really bread
this is a banana focaccia, with bananas providing the majority of the hydration, in place of water
i promise it’s not as weird as it sounds! the result is a barely sweet, floral, banana-y bread that’s excellent spread with butter (or honey butter!)
my favourite base focaccia recipe is 78% hydration (that is, water is 78% of the weight of the flour)
bananas are 75% water themselves, so it’s a relatively easy calculation to swap some of the water for bananas and adjust the overall hydration accordingly to suit
i topped this with a brown sugar and cinnamon mixture for a little extra sweetness as this is otherwise totally unsweetened. it’s a little similar to brunsviger in this way, albeit without the enriched dough base
maybe banana brunsviger is next!
fills one standard round cake tin
ingredients
150g water
270g bananas (about 3)
400g plain flour
4g instant yeast
9g salt
2 tsp cinnamon
at least 2-3 tbsp vegetable oil
topping
30g dark brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
method
blend together the water (150g) and bananas (270g) until thoroughly combined
add the banana water and flour (400g) to a large bowl and mix together until just combined
cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes
sprinkle over the yeast (4g), salt (9g), and cinnamon (2 tsp)
mix to make sure they are evenly distributed through the dough
thoroughly oil a round cake tin and transfer the dough into the tin
fold the dough into thirds (like a letter) and flip to be seam-side down
cover and let rest for 20 minutes
repeat for two more rounds then fold one final time, for a total of 60 minutes resting time and 4 folds
cover and place in the fridge overnight
in the morning, let rise for 45-60 minutes
preheat oven to 220°C
just before baking, drizzle over a little more oil and dimple the dough with your finger tips
sprinkle the brown sugar (30g) and cinnamon (1 tsp) evenly over the top
bake for 20-25 minutes
best enjoyed warm with honey butter