Jamaican Spiced Banana Bread: Heritage Made to Share

Food is one of the ways families remember where they came from. For Christians, sharing that food can also become an act of gratitude: receiving tradition without hoarding it, then putting it back on the table for somebody else.

Ingredients

• 3 large overripe bananas
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp rum extract, optional
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips, optional
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Method

1. Heat oven to 350°F / 175°C and grease a loaf pan.
2. Mash bananas in a large bowl.
3. Melt butter gently and let it cool slightly, then combine it with the bananas, brown sugar, vanilla and optional rum extract.
4. Whisk flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg separately.
5. Mix dry ingredients gently into the banana mixture, then incorporate eggs and fold in coconut plus any optional walnuts or chocolate chips.
6. Bake about 50–60 minutes, checking the centre for doneness.
7. Cool 10–15 minutes in the pan, then move to a rack.

For the family origin behind the broader banana-bread tradition, read Grandpa’s Banana Bread: Faith, Family & What We Pass Down.