Tahini Buckwheat Banana Bread

Originally published April 2018

Come Saturday, my mission in the kitchen is singularly focused on using up any ingredients lingering in the fridge or counter that have a shelf life. This goes for leftovers squirreled away in containers, bits of bread on the counter, the never ending head of red and green cabbage (seriously, it takes forever to go through them unless I'm lucky enough to find small ones at the market), and bananas. I figured many of you might find yourselves in the same situation, making this Tahini Buckwheat Banana Bread a timely recipe to share for a weekend baking project.

Banana bread, like most quick breads, comes together fast enough to free you up to accomplish weekend chores, or even better—enjoy a sunny, blue-skied day doing something relaxing and fun. I'm so hoping to get out for a walk today, and it's well-deserved after scrubbing the bathroom, and freeing the rest of the house from dust bunnies. Before I head out, though, let's talk about this Tahini Buckwheat Banana Bread.

Why another banana bread when I already have so many recipes in my files? If pressed to choose an all-time favorite, the Buckwheat Banana Bread would be the winner. So, one day I wondered if I could up the ante even more, and make my favorite banana bread recipe even better. To all the other banana bread recipes on the site, don't worry, I love you too (especially you, Cherry Chocolate Banana Bread!), it's just me and that buckwheat one have something special going on I can't quite explain.

I love sesame seeds, in all forms, and that includes tahini. I decided to give my beloved banana bread recipe a little makeover, and worked on a version that replaced the melted butter with a combination of tahini and oil (any neutral tasting oil, meaning not olive oil).

I also wanted to add a little texture, and added some black sesame seeds to the batter and the top of the loaf before baking. Don't worry if you can't find black sesame seeds—blonde, unhulled sesame seeds work fine, too, and can usually be found in the bulk section of most health food stores. Hulled sesame seeds could work, I suppose, but I find them to be a lot more delicate, and think they might get a little lost in the batter.

The big surprise came when the kids tasted a slice. Like their mama, that Buckwheat Banana Bread is their favorite, and I was a little worried what they'd think about me tinkering with it. Their verdict: amazing!

Hope the weekend is a great one, filled with peace, sunshine, and lots of good eats.

xo-Jennie

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