Jamaican Banana Bread

JamaicanBanana BreadQuick BreadRum

This banana bread is tender and flavorful, with cinnamon, nutmeg, and—the Jamaican essential spice—pimento (aka allspice). But the most memorable part? The plump, rum-soaked raisins speckled throughout every slice.

Classic banana bread is a perfect canvas for new flavors. I developed this adaptation while designing the menu for my B&B in Jamaica. I wanted it to be comfortingly familiar, yet exciting with a new twist.

We served this bread simply sliced as part of the welcome spread of snacks for arriving guests, and it’s seriously perfect any time of day.

WHAT IS JAMAICAN BANANA BREAD?

The most traditional use of overripe bananas in Jamaica is probably banana fritters. They’re made by mashing bananas, then stirring in spices, sugar, and flour to make a thick batter that is pan fried until golden brown and crispy on both sides.

With the popularization of quick breads—breads using a chemical leavening agent and baked in the oven—banana fritters gave way for banana bread to become an instant classic as well.

These days, you’ll find a wide range of Jamaican-inspired banana breads, depending on the baker’s choice of Jamaican flavors to incorporate into the loaf.

Don’t Skip This Step!

To make this recipe, you do need to plan ahead at least one night to soak the raisins in the dark rum. (Two nights? Even better!) Once you pop a raisin into your mouth and get that burst of flavor, you’ll know it was well worth it. Don’t be surprised if you end up soaking more raisins just to top ice cream or use the raisin-infused rum for cocktails—yum!

In spite of how delicious this banana bread is, it’s also insanely easy and comes together in no time.

If you’d rather not use alcohol, soak your raisins in water or juice, such as pineapple juice, instead. In this case, you could do an accelerated soak by combining the raisins and liquid in a small pot, bringing it to a boil, and letting it stand for 10-15 minutes before draining.

SWAPS, SUGGESTIONS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

I love my combo of the warm spices, rum, and raisins, but you might find some Jamaican banana bread variations with:

• A sweet glaze on top
• Coconut flakes
• Lime juice
• Chopped walnuts or pecans

Not a fan of raisins? Try any other kind of dried fruit you enjoy. Or, skip them all together. You can even try it with chocolate chips!

Whatever your combination of mix-ins might be, just make sure you don’t add more than 1/2 cup total of additional ingredients. Fold them into the batter when you add the raisins. For coconut, I would only add 1/4 cup.

WHY USE RAW SUGAR?

I use raw or turbinado sugar, because that’s what is more commonly used in Jamaica. You should be able to find it in the baking aisle of any major grocery store.

You can use granulated white sugar in place of the raw sugar, but it won’t create the same caramel-like flavor that raw sugar provides, because the molasses has been processed out of granulated sugar.

HOW TO MAKE BANANA BREAD GLUTEN FREE

If you’re gluten free, like me, simply swap in your favorite gluten free AP flour, and you’re good to go. King Arthur’s All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour and Cup4Cup Gluten Free Flour both work well. Just use the gluten free flour in place of the conventional flour, and you don’t need to modify the recipe at all.

WAYS TO ENJOY JAMAICAN BANANA BREAD

This banana bread is subtly sweet, so it’s a completely justifiable breakfast or afternoon (or anytime) snack. I love it all by itself with a cup of mint tea.

If you want to revive leftovers, try:

• Toast them and spread with butter.
• Use a few slices as the base for French toast.
• Take a cue from bananas foster: Pan fry a slice in butter and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

HOW TO STORE, FREEZE, AND REHEAT BANANA BREAD

To Store: If you’re going to eat your banana bread in a couple of days, it’s best stored at room temperature in an airtight container. If you need to keep it fresh for up to a week, stick it in the fridge in an airtight container.

To Freeze: Banana bread will freeze beautifully for up to three months. You can freeze individual slices, partial loaves, or whole loaves. Just wrap them tightly in plastic wrap or foil, and then place the wrapped bread in a resealable freezer bag and seal tightly. Note that the larger the piece, the better it will be able to withstand freezer burn.

To thaw frozen bread: Stick it in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a few hours. If you’re in a rush to thaw your slices, pop them in the microwave for about 30 seconds.

• To learn more about how to freeze banana bread, check out our step by step guide: How to Store and Freeze Banana Bread.

RECIPES FOR MORE BANANA BREAD INSPIRATION!

• Banana Bread
• Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
• Chocolate Banana Bread
• Vegan Banana Bread
• Cream Cheese Banana Bread

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Jamaican Banana Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutes
• Cook time: 55 minutes
• Raisin Soaking time: Overnight
• Yield: Makes one 8 x 4 loaf

Make sure you’re using soft, overripe bananas that are anywhere from freckly to completely brown all over. When mashing, I like to leave some lumps in, similar to chunky applesauce.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dark rum
• 1 1/2 cup mashed overripe bananas, from 3 or 4 bananas
• 1/3 cup salted butter, melted
• 3/4 cup raw or turbinado sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon raisin-infused dark rum (from soaking the raisins)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 8×4-inch loaf pan

Method

1 Soak the raisins: Combine raisins and rum in a small container with a tight fitting lid. Let stand at room temperature at least overnight before straining and reserving the raisin-infused rum. (You may soak the raisins for much longer but will likely have to add more rum as the raisins absorb it.)

2 Preheat oven to 350°F.

3 Prepare the loaf pan: Grease an 8×4-inch loaf pan generously with cooking spray. You can use butter to grease the pan too, but your loaf may turn out a little darker.

4 Strain the raisins: Strain the raisins and reserve the liquid.

5 Make the batter: In a large mixing bowl, add mashed bananas and stir in melted butter. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of raisin-infused rum. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. Stir to combine.

Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir to combine. Mix in the flour until fully combined. (Note that it will be slightly lumpy because of the pieces of mashed banana.)

Lastly, fold in the strained raisins.

6 Bake: Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan, scraping the bowl to assist. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

7 Serve: Cool on a rack at least 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan. Cool completely before slicing and serving.

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Kalisa Marie Martin

Kalisa Marie Martin is a classically-trained chef with a background in food science and nutrition, based in the Philadelphia area. She shares her unique perspective on food with the world at Kalisa Marie Eats. Kalisa has also been gluten-free for over 15 years and loves the challenge of recreating whatever she might be craving.

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