Baking Basics - Banana Bread

I think the first thing I ever baked was banana bread. It's classic, delicious, and really hard to screw up. My favourite recipe is at: Simply Recipes

Banana Bread Recipe

• Prep time: 5 minutes
• Cook time: 1 hour
• Yield: Makes one loaf

INGREDIENTS

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

METHOD

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

My Healthy Tricks:

• substitute part coconut oil and part vegan butter for the 1/3 butter
• use equal parts whole wheat flour and all purpose flour
• reduce the sugar to less than 3/4 cup, and top up to 3/4 with agave

Helpful Hints:

• Add cinnamon (and occasionally nutmeg!) for extra flavour
• Don't over-mix the batter
• If you have bananas going bad, peel them and put in a ziploc in the freezer. All ready to defrost when you're ready to bake! Note: Drain the liquid after defrosting them, otherwise your bread will be mushy
• A few chocolate chips and crushed nuts on top of the loaf can't hurt...

Num, Num!