Today, I’m going with a 2020 staple. Feel free to sigh here. Banana Bread stormed into fashion, with every amateur baker in the UK trying their hand. My own obsession with the stuff came in February, when I moved to Adelaide. My colleagues and friends there were surprised by my enthusiasm, especially given that the bread was in every. single. café. However, I stand by my excitement. Because in Adelaide, I was introduced to toasted Banana Bread. Not in the pop tart kind of way, but in panini presses. Slathered with buttery goodness. Now, of course this weakens Banana Bread’s already shaky claim to health benefits. But it is yummy. And it inspired me to have an explore in the kitchen (always a dangerous thing). Here are the results:
Banana Bread Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas*
- 1/2 cup melted butter (or other baking spread)
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 11/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp milk
- 1-2 tbsp rum or cherry brandy (optional)
- 11/2 cup plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
- Chocolate, nuts, coconut etc. to flavour
Equipment
- 3 Bowls: 1 small, 1 medium, 1 large
- sieve
- measuring spoons
- mixing spoons x2
- fork
- 1lb loaf tin (around 16cm x 11cm x 7cm)
- Wire rack (for cooling)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven to 180°C (160°C fan) and grease tin.
- In the medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together and set aside.
- In the small bowl, mash bananas with a fork until mostly smooth.
- Add the mashed bananas, eggs, vanilla extract and other liquids (milk + any alcohol) to the butter mixture and stir well. Set aside.
- Sift flour into the large bowl. Mix in baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
- Add wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Gently fold in nuts/chocolate/coconut flakes.
- Transfer mixture to tin and smooth surface. Cover with foil and bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 30 mins. Then lower to 160°C (140°C fan), remove foil and bake for another 20 mins, or until a skewer/toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow to cool for 10 mins in the tin, then remove and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
- Put the kettle on, and enjoy your banana bread with a cuppa, or two.
Tips
- When adding wet ingredients to the dry, try to limit your stirs to about 20 to avoid rubbery result.
- Try adding chocolate chunks; coconut; pecans; walnuts to your banana bread. My favourite combo is chocolate, coconut and rum. Almonds and cherry brandy are also a winner. Why not experiment a little?
- If concerned about nuts etc. sinking to the bottom when baking, roll them in flour before adding them to your batter.
*Bananas! Sugar!
Perfect Bananas
Anyone who has read a banana bread recipe will have noticed that the baking community loves to talk about ripe bananas. And they’re right to. However, if baking in the prime banana window is a struggle, try a trick or two:
- Freezer trick: freezing bananas is a simple way to keep them ripe for mashing. After defrosting, they can be squeezed out of the skins, a little like toothpaste.
- Oven trick: If you can’t wait to bake, try popping your bananas in the oven at 120°C (100°C fan) for around an hour. The skins will blacken and the flavour becomes richer.
Ultimately, the flavour of your bread hinges on these ‘nanas. The riper they are, the more flavourful your bread will be. Adding more bananas risks making the end result damp and heavy. In this case, it really is quality over quantity!
Brown vs White Sugar
In the sugar debate, I have always leaned toward the former. Brown sugar is slightly less sweet, and I prefer the flavour. Some suggest that using brown sugar here would lead to a more moist and flavourful banana bread. I agree, though the recipe still works well with white caster sugar. If using white sugar, perhaps use 3/4 cup measurement to account for the added sweetness. For more information, why not try reading this post on sugar taste tests?