Category: Sweet

Here’s the deal, banana breads are overall a relatively simple recipe. But not all banana bread recipes are created equal. Some are butter based, some have white sugar, some have nuts, and some have chocolate! Here’s how you get my best, soft banana bread!

Personally, I have always been drawn to banana breads that are oil based, I feel like the crumb of the bread is much softer and more moist than those made from butter.

My recipe calls for brown sugar, I feel that the moisture and the molasses in brown sugar lends to the softness of the bread. Also, I feel that the flavor of the brown sugar compliments the banana more than white sugar would.

Feel free to use mini loaf tins for this recipe, just as I did for the photos. The recipe works for 1 standard loaf tin or for 3 mini loaf tins (about 3 x 5 1/2 inches). Bake time for standard loaves is 50 – 55 minutes. Mini is about 30 minutes.

It helps to whisk the liquids (eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and yogurt) in a separate bowl before stirring into the dry ingredients because it prevents yogurty lumps from forming. (if you don’t have yogurt, you can use milk but I would recommend using the yogurt)

For the bananas, they need to be ripe but they can range from pretty ripe to super over ripe. Just depends on what you have on hand.

It’s at this stage that you can choose to add any other mix ins that you prefer. I suggest walnuts, chocolate chunks, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, or even a dash of maple syrup!

Enjoy your soft banana bread with milk, tea or coffee any time of the day!

Print Recipe

Soft Banana Bread

A moist banana bread perfect as a morning meal or a late night snack. Enjoy with milk, tea, or coffee. Can even be topped with butter, honey, or maple!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time55 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Servings: 14 slices standard loaf tin

Calories: 230kcal

Equipment

• Standard Loaf Tin
• Mini Loaf Tin
• Parchment Paper

Ingredients

• 1½ Cup All Purpose Flour
• 1 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1½ tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Kosher Salt
• ½ Cup Yogurt unsweetened, unflavored (if you don't have yogurt you can use whole milk)
• ¾ Cup Vegetable Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 1¼ tsp Vanilla Extract
• 3 Large Ripe Bananas

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350°. If you are using mini loaf pans bake for about 30-35 mins. If you are using standard loaf pans bake for 50 – 55 mins.
• Measure and stir together the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl.
• In a separate bowl whisk together the yogurt, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Create a well in the center of the bowl with the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid ingredients. Stir properly.
• Mash the bananas with a fork or spoon in an empty bowl and then mix that into the batter.
• Feel free to add 1½ teaspoon of cinnamon as a flavor booster. Or walnuts or chocolate chunks.
• Fill a lined and greased loaf tin to at least ⅔ full.
• If you are using mini loaf pans bake for about 30 – 35 mins. If you are using standard loaf pans bake for 50 – 55 mins.

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Hi, friends! I wanted my first recipe on the blog to be something that is special to me. I had my heart set on my very special, moist chocolate cake. This cake is synonymous with Lotus in my family. I’ve made it for numerous birthdays, holidays, and graduations. However, in light of all the chaos happening around the world, I figured it would be a bit gratuitous to make a recipe that required a substantial amount of eggs and butter when we are all trying to minimize our trips to the grocery store. 
So, I present to you: No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls!

In that case, I played around with testing some no yeast cinnamon roll recipes. It requires some basic ingredients that most of you will already have at home, and it doesn’t require any special kitchen equipment (however, a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment can be used if you have one). In the quarantine stir crazy I’ve got going on, I’ve done a lot more baking and cooking than I would do in a normal week. I’m always trying to see what recipes I can make with basic household ingredients.

These rolls are fun to make and are simple enough that any of you with little ones around can have them help. They’re great to have with milk or coffee (or tea – that’s how I like it)!

Recipe Tips:

For the Dough:

When working on the dough, don’t be surprised how soft and hydrated it is. Even though this is a no yeast cinnamon rolls recipe, some kneading is required (by hand or by dough hook). So, be sure not to overwork the dough as all-purpose flour can still produce some gluten. You don’t want to have dense and doughy rolls.

When recipe testing I attempted to add more and more flour until the dough reached a consistency that seemed more manageable to touch, but in turn was less hydrated. These rolls were less than satisfactory when they came out of the oven. Don’t be alarmed at how wet the dough is! It’ll all come together in the end.

When mixing the wet and dry ingredients together, you want to ensure that the egg and milk mixture is pale yellow and frothy. Create a well in the dry ingredients that you can pour the wet mixture into.

Can you replace the white sugar in the dough for another type of sugar? My answer is no. While I am sure it would be OK, other types of sugar (read: light or dark brown sugar) have molasses in them. This increases the water content which can lead to a more wet dough that might not hold its shape as well in the oven. Feel free to use way more cinnamon than is called for!

The recipe calls for kneading in softened butter, which is a sticky process. I don’t prefer to mix in melted butter as I feel like softened butter contributes to the structure of the rolls better than melted does.

For the Filling:

Can you replace the brown sugar in the filling for another type of sugar? Again, my answer is no. But this time it is for the inverse reasons as above. We want the hydration from the water in the brown sugar to create a really rich and moist center for our rolls.

I like a kind of crisp to my sugar center so I spread the butter on to the dough first and then pat the dry filling mixture in. You still get a gooey center (crispy and gooey seem to contradict, I know, but it still somehow turns out like that) but if you want to maximize that gooeyness, then feel free to mix the melted butter into the filling before spreading the whole mixture on. 

For the Icing:

Depending on the consistency you want for your icing, you can choose to add more milk and more sugar as you go on. 

If you’re using kosher salt, I would recommend grinding it down a bit. The granules don’t blend into the icing and it ends up being kind of gritty.

Make sure the rolls are warm enough that the icing spreads, but not so hot that it drips off.

Hope you enjoy these no yeast cinnamon rolls!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

No Yeast Cinnamon Rolls

Simple, but delicious, yeast-free cinnamon rolls for those who crave an ooey-gooey step up from the canned version!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time22 minutes mins

Course: Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 8 Rolls

Calories: 295kcal

Equipment

• Stand Mixer – with Dough Hook (optional)
• Smooth Work Surface
• Rolling Pin
• Round Pie Tin

Ingredients

Dough

• 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour (reserve ¼-½ for kneading)
• 3 Tbsp White Sugar
• 1.5 tsp Kosher Salt
• 1.5 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 Egg
• ¾ Cup Milk
• 4 Tbsp Softened Butter unsalted

Filling

• ⅔ Cup Brown Sugar either light or dark is fine
• ½ tsp Kosher Salt
• 2-3 tsp Ground Cinnamon you can use more – used 1.5 Tbs (I like Cinnamon!)
• 2 Tbsp Melted Butter unsalted
• ½ tsp Vanilla Extract

Icing

• 4 oz Cream Cheese Room Temperature
• 1 Tbsp Milk more or less based on your preferred consistency
• 1.5 Cup Powdered Sugar more to taste based on your preferred consistency
• Pinch Salt

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375°F

  Be sure to check above for photos and advice along the way.

Dough

• Whisk together the AP flour, white sugar, baking powder, and kosher salt in a large bowl.
• In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg and milk until frothy and pale yellow.
• Cut the softened butter up into small pieces.
• (If using a stand mixer, attach the dough hook and combine the dry and wet ingredients together. Once combined, incorporate the softened butter.)
• If mixing dough by hand, using a whisk, make a well in the dry ingredients.
• Pour the milk and egg mixture into the well.
• Incorporate the dry into the wet ingredients by pulling the dry ingredients slowly into the center. Be patient with this step!
• Once incorporated, roll out dough onto a floured work surface and knead with floured hands.
• While kneading, feel free to incorporate more flour. Up to ½ cup, but no more.
• Knead in the softened butter. At this stage, the dough will feel too wet and greasy, but just continue to work with it!
• Roll the dough into approximately an 8 x 10 inch rectangle.

Filling

• Once the dough is shaped, spread on the melted butter set aside for the filling.
• Mix together the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla extract.
• Generously sprinkle the filling mixture onto the dough. It seems like a lot but use all of it!
• Roll the dough into a log and cut into 8 rolls, making sure to trim and discard the edges.
• Place the rolls in a lined and greased pie tin and bake for 22-25 minutes.

Icing

• Mix together the cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, salt, and milk while the rolls are baking.
• Once the rolls are out of the oven and have cooled slightly, spread the icing on.

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