seedy banana bread

At this moment, I sit alongside my husband, gazing out onto the black-hole of a runway from behind the terminal window, waiting for the freedom bird. The jet. The only means of transport in and out of our tiny, northern community.

with lemon brown sugar glaze

Actually, there is (as of last week) an alternative means of escape transport. The winter road (ie. snow that has been driven on enough to compact it) is finally ready for the season, thanks to the many trucks visiting the town. The road leads from our little community to a nearby, even smaller community. It continues on to the nearest city, Yellowknife, eventually leaving the Northwest Territories and hitting Edmonton. Realising this makes us feel a little less isolated.

seedy banana bread

This is the beginning of vacation, our first since our move to Norman Wells eight months ago. Already we have had a 3-hour delay, and we haven’t even left our home town. We are literally 5 minutes walk from our house, but in anticipation of mild San Francisco weather (perhaps a spot of sunshine even), we are in no way equipped to walk home to pass the time – you simply do not consider spending anything more than eight seconds outside (the time it takes to race from the heated indoors to the pre-heated car) without longjohns, snow boots, mitts and a down parka. Plus there is someone else now living in our home.

And so we wait, gazing out at the pitch black runway (at 4pm) in dire hope that we will soon see some approaching aircraft lights. It’s hard to be frustrated. It’s Christmas time. And we have banana bread, an emergency snack, or en cas as they say in France. We just pray that no further hindrances will prevent us greeting my parents in San Francisco tomorrow afternoon, in time for Christmas!

poppy seed bread

Sesame & Poppy Seed Banana Bread
Recipe from 101 Cookbooks
Heidi’s olive oil banana cake with brown sugar glaze has become one of our favourites, our turn-to for entertaining. She posted a variation using black and white sesame seeds soon after the chocolate studded one, and I have been keeping my eye out for black sesame seeds since. As expected, they are no-where to be found in the North. Poppy seeds worked surprisingly well, bringing an interest in colour – a rather blueish tinge – and the aromatic, nuttiness that is characteristic of toasted poppy seeds. Be careful not to overcook the loaf as it can become dry. As Heidi suggests, “err on the side of under-baking versus over.”

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup dark brown sugar (or muscovado)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
1/2 cup each sesame seeds, poppy seeds lightly toasted
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest (I used lime)

For the glaze
1/2 cup sifted dark brown sugar (muscovado)
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
4-6 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (again, I used lime)

Preheat the oven to 350° F, and place a rack in the center. Butter and flour a 9- by 5- inch (23 x 13 cm) loaf pan, or equivalent.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, sugar, baking soda, salt and seeds (reserve a couple of tablespoons of seeds for decorating if desired)

In a separate bowl, mix together the olive oil, eggs, mashed banana, yogurt, and zest. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and fold with a spatula until just combined. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn the loaf out of the pan to cool completely.

While the cake is cooling, prepare the glaze. In a bowl, whisk together the sugars and the lemon juice until smooth. When the cake is completely cool, drizzle the glaze on top of the cake and finish with the remaining seeds.

5 thoughts

  1. So lovely to come across your blog tonight! I’m originally from Raglan, NZ and couldn’t help but think ‘what a small, small world’ as I read one of your other posts about working at a cafe in Hamilton. We live in Perth, W.A at the mo where we are experiencing 40C+ summer. Just a tad different than your winter in Canada it seems! Hope you had a great trip to San fran, it’s somewhere I’d so love to visit one day xx

  2. Pingback: Banana rama « Bread and Sweet Peas

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