Saturday, March 22, 2014

Weekend Bake: Banana Loaf

Hi friends,

There are certain recipes I continue to search for and refine. One of them is Banana Bread. For something so seemingly simple, I still haven't found a Banana Bread recipe I really like.
Most of them seem to be too moist. I want a dense loaf that is more like a bread but with banana taste.  I don't want a loaf so moist that it is like pudding.  I also don't like big chunks of banana in my loaf though I do like to see the seeds. I'm also looking for a recipe that doesn't use such a lot of sugar and oil.

I tried this recipe tonight.




BANANA BREAD
Ingredients

¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar (I used 3/4 cup)
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream (I use Greek style plain yogurt instead)
1 cup mashed fully ripe bananas (I used 2 bananas because that is all I had today)
2-1/4 cups flour
1-1/2tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 cup chopped walnuts (I meant to add the walnuts but forgot)

Instructions

HEAT oven to 350ºF.
BEAT butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until blended. Add eggs and sour cream; mix well. Add bananas and combined dry ingredients; mix just until moistened. Stir in nuts.
POUR into greased and floured 9x5-inch loaf pan.
BAKE 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 min.; remove from pan to wire rack. Cool completely before slicing. Refrigerate leftovers. 

When I transferred the batter to the loaf pan I was immediately pleased.  The batter is much thicker than the previous recipes I've used. However I could tell it was also going to be very dense.  I also could have used slightly more banana in the mix but I only had 2.  It was enough for a pleasant banana flavour.

Sorry for the shadow on the banana loaf.  It was late and the lighting was poor.

Taste test:  Good but rather rubbery. I over mixed the batter.  You are only supposed to mix until moistened not beat it together well. It was getting late and I wasn't paying good attention  I will be more careful next time.  I used my tin loaf pans rather than the silicone pans. I find silicon bread pans are terrific for bread but give my muffins and quick breads a "jelly like" consistency at the bottom. Good for certain types of muffins like strawberry or raspberry but not so good for things like banana bread, IMHO.

I like this recipe much better than the other recipes I've tried so far. I'm going to enjoy tonight with a cup of rooibos tea before bed.

In weather news, we've been having a lot of high winds.  It is helping to chase away the clouds and bring out blue skies and sunshine for several hours a day though there is still an unseasonal chill in the air.  Several of my friends have been battling with the flu bug or bronchitis. I myself have not been feeling that great for about a week but have managed to thwart getting a bug. I am trying to get more rest and drink plenty of fluids.

 I hope your weather is cooperating wherever you are and that you have a wonderful weekend. Hugs. xx


12 comments:

Denise said...

I love banana bread.

Joyful said...

Thanks dear heart! If you have a fav recipe, please email me ;-) Have a wonderful weekend. Hugs. xx

affectioknit said...

That looks delicious...I could definitely make a vegan version of that...and I have some overripe bananas in the freezer too...

~Have a lovely day!

Joyful said...

Thanks so much for stopping by! You have a lovely day too :-)

Joy said...

This looks very good Joyful and worth another go, do you think? The banana I ate yesterday would have been just right for that recipe today ….. ah well, there will be others!
Our weather is quite unsettled lately - it wants to rain but can't - yet - and we were supposed to have storms but they haven't come yet either! We'll take whatever comes and make the best of it I suppose!
I hope your Sunday is wonderful my friend! xx Joy

Jan said...

It's been a while since I made banana bread, maybe more than 10 years! Isn't amazing how time goes by? Just catching up again dear Penny. Maybe I will make some this weekend and think of you. X

Joyful said...

Hello Joy, I think this recipe will be a good one to tweak. I did enjoy it (minus the rubbery texture which was made by my error. So next time it should be good with a tad more banana and some nuts. It is raining here again though we've had some high winds, blue skies and sunshine earlier in the week. I think next week will be a nice one. I hope you get the rain you need. You have yourself a very lovely Sunday too dear Joy :-)

Joyful said...

Hi Jan, so nice to see you! I know your time is limited these days so I'm pleased you are doing some catch up. I'd love to hear if you make the bread and if it turns out. Time does fly and 10 years goes by in a blink. That's why it is so important for us to make the best of each day though some weeks can go by without us really realizing that. I do hope you are enjoying your studies my friend. Hugs. xx

Pearl Maple said...

thanks for sharing your recipe and recommendations, we have so many options now with the silicone and metal pans takes a bit of trial and error to figure them out or helpful recommendations from other bloggers

jabbott said...

Your loaf, looks well cooked and yummy.when I have made banana loaf in the past never turned out this well, might follow your recipie x

africanaussie said...

I too never seem to find just the right recipe for banana bread. I have some over ripe banana that I mashed and put into the fridge - will have to try your recipe. We do similar things - I always reduce the sugar by up to half, and add yoghurt at the drop of a hat.

Heidrun Khokhar, KleinsteMotte said...

I cannot understand the use of oil in baking. It is not in my cultural heritage. Butter is used both in small and in generous amounts. It does not cause heart issues contrary to outdated research.

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