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Bon Appétit

El Rey’s Sesame Banana Bread

2.8

(106)

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Condé Nast Entertainment

This not-so-standard banana bread was the talk of the BA office for a few months (in the best possible way). Some quick tips: Use the ripest bananas possible and tent the bread with foil if it’s browning too quickly.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    8 Servings

Ingredients

⅓

cup raw white sesame seeds, divided

¼

cup raw black sesame seeds, divided

4

very ripe bananas

1¾

cups cake flour

¾

teaspoon baking powder

½

teaspoon baking soda

½

teaspoon kosher salt

2

large eggs

½

cup vegetable oil

2

tablespoons tahini

1

tablespoon vanilla extract

2¼

cups (lightly packed) dark brown sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 350°. Toast 1 Tbsp. white sesame seeds and 1 Tbsp. black sesame seeds in a dry medium skillet over medium, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

    Step 2

    Blend bananas in a food processor to a smooth purée. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, oil, tahini, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk in brown sugar and banana purée until well blended, then whisk in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in toasted sesame seeds.

    Step 3

    Scrape batter into a 9x5" loaf pan and sprinkle with remaining white and black sesame seeds. Bake bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–70 minutes. Let cool completely in pan.

    Step 4

    Do Ahead: Bread can be baked 5 days in advance; wrap tightly and store at room temperature.

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Reviews (106)

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  • Made these into a muffin and used 1-1 gluten free flour instead and they are still excellent. I also topped mine with some crushed cardamom seed. Followed suggestions below to cut the sugar slightly and it is still a prettty sweet lil guy. I just ate three muffins in short succession and have no regrets.

    • Anonymous

    • Montreal Canada

    • 9/27/2021

  • I was sceptical because the ratings were low yet the comments had nothing but praise, seemed almost fake. However, the video convinced me to give it a try. I reduced the amount of sugar by about a quarter, using just 300 grams, and still it worked beautifully. Toothpick test is mandatory. Looks impressive for a loaf and it is really easy to prepare. I will make it again.

    • Julia

    • 5/10/2021

  • Just had to chime in here bc this is hands down the only banana bread recipe i use! I've recommended it to all my friends. Full disclosure: I am a big sesame fan so this really hits the spot for me!

    • Melissa

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 2/17/2021

  • Great! Loved by the whole family.

    • Terri H

    • Victoria BC Canada

    • 2/3/2021

  • Very good! A bit sweet - next time I make, I will reduce sugar by a bit... might be an impact of how sweet my bananas were, so I think anyone who makes can adjust for themselves!

    • Julia D

    • San Francisco

    • 1/11/2021

  • I can only see 4 reviews...not sure why that is. How can I access all 89 reviews?

    • Anonymous

    • New York

    • 6/12/2020

  • made a double batch yesterday. Must do it again because it’s a GONNER ! everyone asked me for the recipe 👌🏼 I must confess I eyeballed it a bit but nevertheless it is INCREDIBLE ( and not just because i would gladly eat 1 bucket of tahini a day by itself )

    • LeoaLeona

    • Portugal/Australia

    • 6/6/2020