Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Prepare the orange: Zest and juice one med/large orange. Add one tablespoon on the zest and one tablespoon of the juice to the inner pan of the bread maker.1 Tablespoon orange zest, 1 Tablespoon orange juice
- Cook the banana: Mash the banana and then measure out one cup. Place one cup of mashed banana in a small pan on the stovetop and cook on medium/high, stirring constantly till the mashed banana has lost its wet sheen and be more paste-like. This will take anywhere from 3-6 minutes depending on how wet your banana was to begin with. Your banana will have been reduced to ⅞ cup (losing 2 tablespoons). Add the cooked banana to the bread machine pan.1 cup mashed banana
- Warm the milk and butter: Warm the plant milk in the microwave. Melt the vegan butter in the microwave - each for 30ish seconds. The milk should not be so hot that you can't touch it, and the butter just melted - not sizzling.3 Tablespoons plant milk, ¼ cup vegan butter
- Add the wet ingredients: Add the warmed plant milk and melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla and maple extracts, and salt. The bread flour, spices, and yeast will be added last. Make sure to add the salt to this step though so that it does not interact with the yeast before mixing. Try to sprinkle in the brown sugar as best as you can so that it is not just dumped in a clump.3 Tablespoons plant milk, ¼ cup vegan butter, ⅓ cup light brown sugar, 2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup, 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon maple extract
- Add the bread flour: Correctly measure the bread flour (see blog post and notes). Add on top of the wet ingredients2¾ cup bread flour
- Add the spices: Sprinkle the ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ginger powder, and nutmeg evenly on top of the flour.1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground cardamom, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ginger powder
- Add the yeast: Made a little indent in the top of the flour and add the rapid rise yeast on top.1¾ teaspoon rapid rise yeast
- Bake the bread: Set the bread machine to the standard white loaf. Medium crust. Medium-sized loaf. Press start and relax for the next 3ish hours!
Notes
For best texture use higher protein unsweetened plant milk. My preference is Ripple unsweetened pea protein milk or unsweetened soy milk. If you are not dairy-free you could probably use a dairy milk and butter. I have not tested that. Let me know in the comments.
Use slightly overripe bananas - You should be able to get the correct amount with 2-3 medium-sized bananas. I always have an extra on hand though in case.
Mash the bananas first and then measure out one cup. After cooking the banana, it will be reduced by two Tablespoons so you should have 7/8 cup remaining.
Pack the light brown sugar in the measuring cup but don't dump it in a clump in the bread machine. Spoon it out and try to evenly distribute as best as possible.
It's super important that you make sure all the lumps and bumps are removed from the brown sugar before adding it to the recipe. If my brown sugar is a little bit old and lumpy, I add a slice of fresh bread to the sealed package for a few hours to soften it so that I can easily break up any lumps.
Measure the bread flour correctly using the lighten, spoon, and swipe method. See the blog post for details.
Please use bread flour. Bread flour has more protein, which helps the dough rise higher and gives the loaf its chewy, bakery-style texture. All-purpose flour can work in a pinch, but the bread may turn out softer and a little less structured
For best results, use the rapid rise yeast/bread machine yeast. If you choose to use active dry yeast, it converts to 2 1/4 teaspoons - but I have not tested this so use at your own risk