Chinese 5 Spice and Orange Banana Bread

Sunday baking is how I often enjoy spending a lazy weekend morning.  One time my friend Hazel asked me, “what do you do with those black bananas on your counter?”  “Make banana bread”, I laughed.  This weekend the temps are HOT and I’m doing my best to stay indoors.  You might think, why would you want to heat up your kitchen by turning on the oven?  Good question!  

I decided to bake early and allow the kitchen to cool down before the heat skyrocketed.  Plus, the bananas were so black it was now or never.  I was in the mood for a new recipe and I wanted to throw in some Chinese 5 Spice.  Uniting 5 flavors, sweet, sour, bitter, salty and savory, Chinese 5 Spice is yin and yang in your mouth.  The one I use includes Saigon cinnamon, star anise, fennel seed, cloves, ginger, and black pepper.  Delish!  The smell makes me swoon just a little!

If you follow my blog you know orange is one of my favorite flavors, my favorite color and I was born in Orange, Texas a few years ago.  I added in some fresh orange zest and orange juice to my recipe.  I also threw in a handful of golden raisins for an additional bite of sweet.  There was one elephant in the room however, my oven temperature has decided to go haywire.  I risked getting the temperature to stay at 350* and even though I had to reset it a couple of times was able to turn out a beautiful loaf.  Next on my agenda is to find an oven repair person.  UGH!

This tasty loaf of banana bread makes a delicious light breakfast with a side of fresh summer berries or a flavorful afternoon snack with a glass of iced or cup of hot tea.  It is a quick and easy recipe so you can have a hot slice of bread with your morning coffee too!  Enjoy!