Citrus & Spice Tea Banana Bread. Bigelow Tea.

This Citrus & Spice Banana Bread is infused with "Constant Comment"® black tea from Bigelow. Warm and cozy, this moist tea bread is perfect to serve around the holiday season. Get the recipe and enter my Bigelow Tea giveaway!..

Bigelow Tea Giveaway. Enter to win a 64-tea bag tea chest from Bigelow. Retail value: $54.95 - this variety chest includes my favorites: "Constant Comment," Earl Grey, Sweet Dreams and more! GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED.

Tea Memories. When I was a kid I loved tea. And I have carried that childhood love and "tea habit" with me into adulthood. Tea happily seems to blend into most every time of day. Stimulating black tea or chai in the morning and late afternoon. Soothing herbal teas when I am feeling calm or before bed. And my favorite bedtime teas to usher me into dreamland.

There are so many tea brands on store shelves these days, but it is always comforting to return to a childhood favorite. For my house, our tea of choice was Bigelow.

We always had a box of the Bigelow variety pack on our countertop right next to the stove. I'd open the box and skim my fingertips through the packets, all shiny and crisp, and search for my absolute favorite flavor. That bright crimson colored “Constant Comment” tea bag. Those citrus and spice flavors wafted through the air and made me feel all cozy and warm from the inside out. I never knew what the name stemmed from, but it always intrigued me. It conjured up images of girlfriends chatting at tea time.

Did you love tea as a kid? Did you have Bigelow around your house too? Some fun facts on the name and brand follow the recipe below.

So when Bigelow asked me to create a custom recipe inspired by one of their teas, I was more than excited to revisit my childhood tea memories and remind myself why I loved “Constant Comment”® so much!

This “Constant Comment” tea-infused Banana Bread is cozy and sweet with flavors of citrus, cinnamon and banana. It pairs deliciously with a cup of tea or cocoa. Plus this bread baking in the oven will fill your house with an amazing scent. Some people like to burn candles to create a holiday aroma in their house - well skip the candle and just bake this bread!

I LOVED this recipe so much I have baked it three times since my first recipe test! One loaf was a gift and the other two my husband and I gobbled down. (My second test run I added in some diced apple which was a delicious add-in.)

“Constant Comment” Tea-Infused Citrus Spice Banana Bread
vegan, makes one loaf

dry:
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
¼ cup rolled oats (optional)
1 teaspoon salt

banana/liquid mix:
1 ½ bananas, mashed
¼ cup virgin coconut oil, melted
¼ cup orange or tangerine juice + ¼ teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon flax seeds
¾ cup boiling water + 1 “Constant Comment” tea bag (steeped tea)

topping:
sprinkle of sugar + sprinkle of citrus zest + sprinkle of cinnamon

optional add-in's:
* ¼ cup chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans would be perfect!)
* ½ cup diced apple (I tried this on my second time testing the recipe and it was amazing.)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
3. Heat ¾ cup of water in microwave or boil on stove. Add the "Constant Comment" tea bag and allow to steep for about five minutes - until dark amber gold in color.
4. In a small bowl, combine the tea, mashed banana, oil, vanilla extract, flax seeds and orange juice + zest. Mash this all together to soften the bananas even more. This mixture should be warm from the hot tea.
5. Pour the banana mixture into the large mixing bowl and fold until well combined.
6. Grease a standard loaf pan. Pour the batter into the pan.
7. Top the batter with a sprinkle of sugar, cinnamon and orange zest.
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until cooked through.
9. Allow to coo before slicing and serving.

Optional: This loaf is pretty dreamy all on its own, but if desired you can whip up a cream cheese drizzle to pour over top!..

"Cream Cheese" Glaze for Bread
makes about ¾ cup of glaze

½ cup vegan cream cheese
¼ maple or agave syrup
¼ cup powdered sugar, organic
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla or orange extract

Soften the cream cheese and beat all ingredients together until silky. Place in fridge until ready to serve over top a warm slice of tea bread.

Bigelow history.. The company was founded by Ruth C. Bigelow in the late 1940s, based on a recipe she marketed as "Constant Comment" tea. Bigelow is a 100% family-owned business that markets over 50 varieties of tea, all of which are still blended in Fairfield, Connecticut.

And that "Constant Comment" name?.. According to Wikipedia.. "One of Mrs. Bigelow's Park Avenue friends was giving an afternoon party, and it was suggested she try the new blend. Not a word was said to the guests regarding its novelty, yet everyone spoke of the tea's aroma, its flavor—there was “constant comment.”"

Learn more about Bigelow online!..
Bigelow Website and Bigelow's Blog
Bigelow on Facebook
Find Bigelow on: Twitter, YouTube, and Pinterest

Photos courtesy of Bigelow...