We returned from Kauai VERY early this morning. When I staggered into the kitchen I found three VERY ripe banana and a very (small case on purpose) soft apple in our produce rack. Instantly, I thought apple-banana bread.
This recipe is an amalgam of several I found online. One note: my brown sugar was very clumpy so I ran it through a sieve before adding it to the other dry ingredients. I was able to break up the clumps with my fingers.
Apple-Banana Bread
INGREDIENTS • 260 g (1¾ c) AP flour • ¾ tsp baking soda • ¼ tsp salt • 75 g (⅓ c) granulated sugar • 110 g (⅔ c) light brown sugar • ¼ tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp nutmeg • 2 eggs • ⅔ c butter (very soft) • 3 Tbl milk • 3 small/medium bananas (mashed) • 1 large apple (peeled, cored, chopped)
METHOD
Mix together flour, baking soda, salt, sugar and spices.
Blend in eggs, butter, and milk.
Stir in banana and apple.
Pour batter into greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350F for about 1 hour or until toothpick test comes out clean. (Internal temperature was 193F.)
Rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then on a cooling rack until room temperature (if you can wait that long.)
So what are you supposed to do when you wake early, and as you walk through the kitchen on you way to turn on the TV to watch the replay of the Olympics (that you slept through last night) and you see 3 small, very ripe bananas sitting there?
Answer: make raisin banana bread. As I opened the drawer where the bread pans live, I saw two small bread pans I bought to make some Tangzhong Pillowy White Bread. Knowing I would give half the bread away, I felt these would be a perfect size.
There is nothing exceptional or fancy about this bread other than it’s tender, has a great crumb, and is neither tough or dry. (Be sure to take it out of the oven when the internal temperature reaches 190 F. Over-baking can reverse all its good characteristics.)
Banana Raisin Bread
INGREDIENTS
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1⁄4 cup oil
1⁄4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1⁄2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon sparkling sugar
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Pour in loaf pan sprayed with Pam and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons coarse sparkling sugar.
Bake for about an hour, until golden brown. (In the small pans it only required 40 minutes of baking. Start checking internal temp at about 30 minutes.)
So what is a person to do with two very over-ripe bananas? Throw them out? I think not! Being both thrifty and whimsical I found an easy recipe for banana bread and at QC’s request added some raisins. In hindsight, I should have added more raisins. Next time I will use a whole cup instead of half. (Below recipe modified)
As I write this post I am eating a slice of the Raspberry Swirl Pound Cake. It really is pretty good!
The recipe called for two tablespoons of sugar to be sprinkled on the top of the loaf prior to baking. This added a nice crunch and caramelization to the loaf. However, one tablespoon would probably be adequate. (Below recipe modified.)
Banana Raisin Bread
INGREDIENTS • 2 cups flour • 2 teaspoons baking powder • 1 teaspoon salt • 3⁄4 cup sugar • 2 eggs • 1⁄4 cup oil • 1⁄4 cup milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla • 2 ripe bananas, mashed • 1 cup raisins • 1 tablespoon sugar
METHOD
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix wet ingredients in another bowl.
Combine wet and dry ingredients.
Pour in loaf pan sprayed with baking spray with flour and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
I saw a video for this bread on Cookist. I found a recipe and a comment at the bottom said it was not very bananaee (my word) and they were correct. Hence, Hint ‘O Banana. It is a very nice soft loaf and easy to make. I am wondering if I upped the amount of banana in the dough if it would increase the bananaee flavor. It really is a good bread just the way it is, but if you were expecting overwhelming banana flavor, like in a traditional banana bread, you will be disappointed. Definitely NOT your, your Mama’s or your Grammies’ banana bread!
This loaf also provided the opportunity to buy two new baking pans. Great for oblong cakes, cheese cakes, bread etc.
The bread has a very mild banana flavor. I wish I weighed the banana before mashing it into the dough. It was a small one. Next time I will try two small ones or one large one and adjust other liquids. I think I will modify the method to incorporate a tangzhong. Stay tuned.
Banana Bread Loaf
INGREDIENTS • 350 g Bread Flour • 30 g Caster Sugar • 1 tsp salt • 2 Tbl Milk Powder • 1 very ripe banana • 1 egg • 70 ml milk • ½ tsp yeast • 40 g unsalted butter, cubed.
METHOD
Sift flour into mixing bowl of stand mixer and add dry ingredients and mix
Mash banana and add to mixing bowl
Whisk egg and milk together then add to bowl
Add yeast
Mix on medium with dough hook until stiff dough is formed. Add additional milk if necessary
Add cubed butter, a piece at a time, continue on mixing speed 2 for 20 min
Knead by hand, form into a ball, tension surface
Let rise, covered for 60 min
Knock down dough, flatten into an oval and divide in half
Flatten, do envelope fold, turn 90 deg and repeat envelope fold
Form into a ball, tension surface
Cover and let rest 15 minutes
Butter bread trays
Roll each ball out about 6-8” long, roll up into a batard, pinch seams and ends closed
Roll under curved fingers slightly to tension. Don’t apply pressure.
Cut into 1” wide pieces, but not all the way through, keeping loaf together Should be about 10 pieces
Pick up carefully and place into bread pan
Cover and let rise 60 minutes
Bake at 350 for 17-20 minutes until internal temp is 195-200F
What do you do with over ripe bananas? Make banana bread, of course. I found a new recipe online and decided to give it a go. As the author said, “With a very few variations, the recipe I give below is universal to almost every church or community cookbook written in the last 50 years.” I believe her.
I thoroughly mashed the bananas to not leave any chunks but did cream the softened butter and sugar together first to give a more cake-like crumb.
The result was excellent. Better than other recipes? Probably not, but as easy as others so what the hey?
• 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter • 1 cup granulated sugar • 2 large eggs • 1/4 cup milk • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • 3 medium bananas, very ripe • 2 cups all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1/4 teaspoon salt
METHOD
Arrange a rack in the bottom third of the oven and heat to 350°F. Line an 8×5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, letting the excess hang over the long sides to form a sling. Spray the inside with cooking spray.
Soften the butter and cream it with the sugar in a stand mixer.
Crack the eggs into the bowl. Whisk until completely combined and the mixture is smooth.
Whisk the milk and vanilla into the batter.
Peel the bananas and add them to the bowl. Using the end of the whisk or a dinner fork, mash them into the batter. Leave the bananas as chunky or as smooth as you prefer. If you prefer an entirely smooth banana bread, mash the bananas separately until no more lumps remain, and then whisk them into the batter.
Measure the flour, baking soda, and salt into the bowl. Switch to using a spatula and gently stir until the ingredients are just barely combined and no more dry flour is visible.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, using the spatula to scrape all the batter from the bowl. Smooth the top of the batter.
Bake until the top of the cake is caramelized dark brown with some yellow interior peeking through and a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 50 to 65 minutes. Baking time will vary slightly depending on the moisture and sugar content of your bananas — start checking around 50 minutes and then every 5 minutes after.
Set the loaf, still in the pan, on a wire cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes — this helps the loaf solidify and makes it easier to remove from the pan.
Grasping the parchment paper sling, lift the loaf out of the pan and place on the cooling rack. Cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.
RECIPE NOTES
Banana muffins: To make muffins, line a muffin tin with paper liners and fill each cup to roughly 3/4 full, and check for doneness after 20 minutes. Makes 8 to 10 muffins.
Storage: Wrap leftovers tightly in plastic wrap and store at room temperature for several days, or wrap the bread in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
aBatteredOldSuitcase 