Did you know that certain foods trigger a sleep-inducing hormonal response that works to calm the nervous system?
Introducing, the RecipeZzz series. A collection of recipes that taste delicious, and utilise ingredients that help you sleep well!
Bananas: Delicious and nutritious, bananas are high in potassium, a mineral that is essential to achieving a deep night’s sleep. Bananas are also nature’s sedative, as they contain both tryptophan and magnesium. Below we’ve provided a quick and easy recipe for banana bread. It’ll benefit you two-fold, helping you get a great night’s sleep and getting rid of those overripe bananas! Check out the notes at the bottom of the recipe for some tips before diving in.
Ingredients:
- 260g self-raising flour
- 40g plain flour
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 120g brown sugar (firmly packed)
- 3-4 overripe medium bananas
- 3 eggs (whisked separately)
- 150ml milk
- 50g melted and cooled butter (extra to grease your loaf pan)
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease the inside of your loaf pan with melted butter or margarine.
Line the pan with non-stick baking paper, allowing the excess to overhang at the longest sides. This will make it easy to take the loaf out when you’re done!
Method:
1. Sift the self-raising flour, plain flour and cinnamon into a large bowl. Stir in the sugar.
2. Mash the bananas in a separate bowl, then add the eggs, milk and the melted butter and stir until well combined.
3. Add together the banana and flour mixtures, then stir until combined.
4. Pour into the prepared loaf pan
5. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean
6. Allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer onto a wire rack to cool completely
Notes:
- This recipe has been adapted from the Taste Banana Bread recipe
- The more overripe your bananas, the sweeter they’ll be. This is because as the starch in the banana breaks down it converts into sugar. So, if your bananas are soft and brown all over, it’s probably best that you reduce your sugar slightly
- Although we have an estimated cooking time, everyone’s oven is different so we recommend keeping an eye on your banana bread the first time you make this
- This recipe is not overly sweet, if you’re so inclined you can add a handful of chocolate chips to increase the sweetness or walnuts for some crunch!
Et Voilà! Delicious banana bread. Let us know in the comments how you went, or if you have any suggestions for improving the recipe.
If you’re interested in reading more about how food affects your sleep, check out our article 15 foods to help you sleep.
