Banana bread

I know it’s starting to look like a blog revolving around bananas around here. Stuffed banana peppers two weeks ago, and now it’s banana bread. I seem to be going bananas with this stuff! I know, not very ap-peeling and maybe we should split from this unplanned theme, but it’s almost as if someone’s plantain these thoughts in my head! (I’ll stop, I’m starting to annoy myself too).

I inevitably end up with some grotesquely overripe bananas hanging around, and I always think I should do something with them only to realize a week later that they are beyond salvaging. This recipe – as most recipes for banana bread go – works perfectly with this overripe fruit, and I’d imagine that the moistness of the cake and its intense flavour are attributed to that too. So in other words, it’s perfect for when you have those forgotten bananas past their prime, languishing in your fruit bowl.

This went down real fast (which might explain the size of the loaf in the picture). You could jazz it up a bit and add some nuts into the mix, or maybe even frost it like you would a cake (which would tip it slightly into the dessert category), but I personally like to keep it simple. Served warm straight from the oven with some freshly brewed tea..I seriously can’t think of anything better.

BANANA BREAD (adapted from John Barrowman)

 

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Author: Kirthana Dorairaj

Recipe type: Breakfast, Bread

Ingredients

• 4 large ripe bananas, mashed (overripe is ideal)
• 100 grams butter, softened (plus extra for greasing the tin)
• 280 grams all-purpose flour
• 150 grams granulated sugar
• 100 ml buttermilk *
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼ tsp salt

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 C (360 F) and grease a loaf tin.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy; you could use a hand-held whisk for this, but just as easily do it manually with a wooden spoon.
3. Once the butter and sugar mixture is pale and aerated, crack in the eggs one at a time and fully incorporate before adding the next one. Add the vanilla extract, mashed bananas, buttermilk and salt and combine. Fold in the flour and baking soda.
4. Pour this batter into your greased loaf tin and bake for 60 - 65 minutes, or until browned on the outside and a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
5. Remove from the oven and cool slightly on a rack before slicing. Keeps well for up to 3 days in an airtight container.

Notes

* If you don’t have buttermilk, add 1 tsp of lime/lemon juice to 100 ml of milk and set aside for 5 minutes. You can use this to replace the buttermilk.

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