Bananas are delicious and nutritious, packed with vital vitamins and minerals. Available throughout the year, we kick-start the day by having one for breakfast. When brown spots appear on the outer skin, the sugar content in the banana increases making them perfect for fried buns, bread, pancakes or pudding. The batter for the banana bread comes together in minutes, which can be baked in a loaf pan or mini loaf pans for gift-giving. Easy, economical, moist, flavourful and a winner. This banana bread is so delicious that you will definitely "Go Bananas" with the aroma and taste.
Did you know?
For health benefits of bananas, click here.
Did you know?
- National Banana Bread day is on 23rd February.
- The word banana comes from the Arabic word “banan”, meaning finger.
- The trunk of a banana plant is made of tightly overlapping leaves and not wood.
- The banana plant is the world’s largest herb and not a tree.
- Bananas are harvested every day of the year.
For health benefits of bananas, click here.
Banana Bread
(Yields 1 loaf weighing 1 kg 100 grams)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas (total weight 670 grams with skin, about 220 to 225 grams each)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/2 cup raisins mixed with 1 teaspoon of flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
Method:
Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 F or 165 C.
Sift the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda and salt.
In a bowl, add the bananas and break them down with a fork. Using an electric hand beater, whisk in the sugar with the bananas until the sugar has dissolved. Include the eggs, one at a time, vanilla, melted and cooled butter. Incorporate the dry ingredients but do not over beat. Fold in the walnuts and raisins with a spatula.
Transfer batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and when a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then upturn onto a wire rack.
Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Note:
(Yields 1 loaf weighing 1 kg 100 grams)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter (melted and cooled)
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas (total weight 670 grams with skin, about 220 to 225 grams each)
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup walnuts (chopped)
1/2 cup raisins mixed with 1 teaspoon of flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a pinch of salt
Method:
Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 325 F or 165 C.
Sift the dry ingredients; flour, baking soda and salt.
In a bowl, add the bananas and break them down with a fork. Using an electric hand beater, whisk in the sugar with the bananas until the sugar has dissolved. Include the eggs, one at a time, vanilla, melted and cooled butter. Incorporate the dry ingredients but do not over beat. Fold in the walnuts and raisins with a spatula.
Transfer batter into the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown and when a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes, then upturn onto a wire rack.
Let the bread cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a cup of hot tea or coffee.
Note:
- Baking the bread at 325 F or 165 C gradually browns the bread keeping it moist. At 350 F or 180 C, it browns very quickly and crisps the top.
- Extremely moist and delicious bread. Ensure that you weigh the bananas with skin before use.
- Perfectly sweet with sugar and raisins. You could even include raisins soaked in rum. Drain off any rum and dust raisins with flour, as indicated.
- Batter can be baked using cupcake liners in a muffin tin.
- Loaf pan from Ikea, Canada, store. Check item online at: http://www.ikea.com/ca/en/catalog/products/30256990/
- Cake tester picked up from Crate & Barrel, Canada. Made from stainless steel, washable and reusable.
- Christmas Banana Bread - follow recipe as above, but reduce 1/2 cup raisins to 1/4 cup. Include 1/4 cup dried cranberries, 1/4 cup candied mixed peel or tutti frutti, 1/4 cup mixture of red and green cherries. Total 1 cup of fruits mixed with 1 tablespoon of flour. Raisins soaked in rum were used. Sugar was reduced to 1/2 cup. This bread was incredibly delicious and a great addition to the festive table. Try and use any dried fruits on hand. Ensure that they are chopped. Don't skip out on the walnuts indicated in the list of ingredients.
