Rex Flex 1: Banana Bread Bonanza Buttered (optional) Bake Off

Life at Rex always has a new challenge just around the corner. Last week, a new monthly competition was introduced for the Rex team to show their ”flex” in areas outside the day-to-day product world we all live in here.

Welcome to Rex Flex 

So to start things off and get us all interested the topic was food… or more precisely banana bread. That delicious semi-sweet treat that we like to think is the healthy option when it comes to a quick breakfast or brunch snack.

The Banana Bread Bonanza Buttered (optional) Bake Off

As with most things that happen with the Rex team behind the scenes, the rules were loose and the judges were completely corruptible. It basically went like this:

• Make a loaf of banana bread
• Cut the loaf
• Taste the load

Now the make bit was even more open to interpretation. If your partner made it, if it came out of a packet, or if you paid the guys up at our fav coffee spot No.68, all it really needed to have was a really solid backstory for how this loaf came straight out of your oven.

And the winner is…

Congrats to our Head of Marketing, Tracey for delivering a super delicious loaf packed with two secret ingredients – dark chocolate and walnuts. Her ‘winner winner chicken dinner’ champion tee shirt is on its way!

Try it yourself – get the recipe

Here’s the recipe for this worthy winner.

Tracey’s Banana Bread Ingredients

The dry stuff:

• 2 cups plain flour
• ¾  cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½  teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

The wet stuff:

• 110g butter
• 2 cups very ripe, darkly speckled bananas
• ⅓  cup plain Greek yogurt 
• 2 large eggs
• 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

The good stuff:

• 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans 
• ⅔ cup chocolate chips

What to do:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Line a 9-inch loaf pan with parchment paper (overhanging on the two long sides) then grease the parchment paper with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the brown sugar.
3. Put the bananas in your KitchenAid mixer with the whisk attachment, and smash up for 1 minute – place into a bowl and set aside.
4. Back in the mixer add the butter and brown sugar and cream until smooth and creamy (around 2 mins).
5. Dial the speed back to slow and add in the eggs one at a time.
6. Now add in the vanilla extract and yoghurt, mixing on a medium speed.
7. Finally, add in the bananas.
8. Then add in slowly the dry ingredients and mix until combined. 
9. Once you have a creamy consistency turn the mixer off and remove the whisk. Then with a spoon stir in the chopped nuts and chocolate chips then scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.
10. Turn oven down to 180°C
11. Bake the bread for 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Expert tip: cover the loaf with tin foil for the first 30 mins.
12. Remove the bread from the oven and allow it to cool completely before storing in an airtight container.

Serving

Mix a cup of ricotta with a generous tablespoon of honey and sprinkle of cinnamon and dollop on toasted banana bread.