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