Cooking is meditative for me, so I love to make this on the weekend with some music playing, and to relax with a cup of tea while it bakes. A big bonus is that it makes the house smell delicious.
Wellbeing by Teacher is dedicated to improving the lives of teachers and school leaders by providing them with informative, evidence-based strategies on how to care for their body, mind and overall sense of wellbeing. We also share recipe ideas, fitness tips, book reviews (and more!) from teachers, school leaders and others working in the sector.
In today’s piece, Zoe Kaskamanidis, Editorial Assistant for Teacher, shares her recipe for an easy walnut-packed banana bread.
Banana bread is my soft spot, whether it’s a slice for breakfast, afternoon tea or served as dessert with yoghurt or ice cream.
Cooking is meditative for me, so I love to make this on the weekend with some music playing, and to relax with a cup of tea while it bakes. A big bonus is that it makes the house smell delicious.
This particular recipe is a combination of my favourite features from a range of different recipes I’ve trialled. I use plenty of walnuts, salted butter, and no cinnamon – though you can tweak the recipe with spices to taste.
I love baking a few batches in one go, so that I can freeze an extra loaf for later, or drop one in to friends or family to brighten their day.
This is the recipe for a single loaf (which you can double or triple as you please).
Ingredients:
- 130g softened salted butter (plus a little extra for greasing)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ tsp vanilla paste
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
- 100g sugar
- 250g self-raising flour, sieved
- 1.5 cups of walnuts, roughly chopped
Method:
- Preheat oven to 180°C
- Lightly grease a one litre loaf tin with the extra butter and line with baking paper
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and creamy
- Beat the eggs into the mixture one at a time until combined
- Mix in the mashed banana with a spoon, then fold in the flour
- Fold in the chopped walnuts
- Pour the mixture into your lined loaf tin, and place in oven for 50 minutes and when the loaf is golden brown on top
- Rest the cooked loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before serving
How do you care for your own health and wellbeing? Do you have any recipes that you’d like to share with your colleagues in education? We’d love to hear about them. Here’s a handy guide on how to get started.
