Friday, May 15, 2020

Really Good Banana Bread


When it comes to baking, I am not nearly as confident in my kitchen skills as when cooking.  I know that baking is a sort of science and I’m afraid to stray very far from the recipe as written.  Therefore, when the baking bug strikes, I turn to the internet and cookbooks and follow the recipes VERY closely.

During this time of “stay home, stay safe” the baking bug has been strong.  We had some bananas that were well past their prime, so I decided I wanted to bake some banana bread.  Enter Google – and I found this great recipe here: https://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/

It was pretty easy, the prep time didn’t take very long and the banana bread was spectacular.  Super delicious with strong banana flavor and I felt it was on the healthier side because the whole loaf had only ½ cup of sugar.  Try it – you’ll like it!

Ingredients:

2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted or salted
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

Directions:

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.

2 In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.

3 Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.

4 Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

5 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)