Chai Spiced Banana Bread

1. 1Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan generously with butter or nonstick spray, then line it with a strip of parchment paper that hangs over the long sides for easy removal.
2. 2Peel the ripe bananas into a large mixing bowl and mash them thoroughly with a fork until mostly smooth with just a few small lumps. You should have about 1 1/4 cups of mashed banana.
3. 3Add the melted and cooled butter, packed brown sugar, eggs, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), and vanilla extract to the mashed bananas. Whisk everything together until well combined and smooth.
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5. 4In a separate medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper until the spices are evenly distributed throughout the flour.
6. 5Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture all at once. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently until just combined, stop as soon as you no longer see streaks of dry flour. Do not overmix; a few small lumps are perfectly fine.
7. 6If using walnuts or chocolate chips, fold them in now with just one or two strokes of the spatula.
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9. 7Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with the spatula. If desired, sprinkle turbinado sugar evenly over the top for a delicate crunchy crust.
10. 8Bake for 55–65 minutes, starting to check at 55 minutes by inserting a toothpick or cake tester into the center of the loaf. It should come out clean or with just a few moist crumbs, not wet batter. If the top is browning too quickly before the center is done, tent a piece of foil loosely over the top and continue baking.
11. 9Remove from the oven and let the bread cool in the pan for 15–20 minutes before using the parchment overhang to lift it out onto a wire rack. Allow it to cool for at least another 10 minutes before slicing for the cleanest cuts and best texture.

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