Banana Bread

I had a whole post written on this, but (stupidly), I cut it out of the previous post (intending to post it into it's own entry), and I forgot to paste it.  Stupid, stupid, stupid!  I'll have to write it up again later.  Gah!

Okay.  It has been a couple of months since I lost this post, so it's time to finish it.  Here's the recipe:

Banana Moist Bread

3 large bananas, extra ripe
1/2 c oil
2 eggs, beaten
2 c flour
1 c sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla
1 c nuts (optional)

Mash bananas with a fork.  Add oil and eggs.  Add sifted dry ingredients.  Stir in vanilla & nuts.  Pour into greased pan.  Bake at 350 F for 60 minutes.


So here's what I do.  I will almost always double this recipe; it just depends on how many bananas you have.  The key is having very ripe bananas.  I think of bananas on a scale of ripeness, where (0) is perfectly ripe: yellow, firm, with no brown spots.  A (-2) is two days before it's ripe, still somewhat green and hard, and a (+2) is ripe: soft with brown spots.  For Banana Bread, your bananas need to be very soft, at a +2 or later.  The softer and sweeter the better, but be careful once they start turning black--you don't want mold!

I mash up the bananas with the paddle attachment of the KitchenAid.  If I need to, I'll add the oil to make it mush a bit better.  I like corn oil, but really--any oil will do.  Oil is the key to the moistness; if you replace it with applesauce or something else, it will change the texture and make it chewy and dry.  I put all of the wet ingredients in the KitchenAid bowl, then all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Now, here's one of the BEST baking tips I can give you:

Use a whisk to "sift" dry ingredients together.

You don't have to futz with a sifter, when you can easily combine and incorporate air with a whisk: put it all in a bowl and stir it.  I got that tip from the Gabby Gourmet on Channel 2 years and years ago, and it has made my life easier ever since.  You're welcome.

I'll add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time to the wet, then let it mix for a few seconds.  I'll do this until it is all combined.  Then I'll pour the batter into prepared pans (around this time, I'll pre-heat the oven, too).  This is another awesome tip:

Use butter (or shortening) and granulated sugar to grease your pans.

Many baking recipes call for "greased and floured" pans.  Often times, a quick spray with Pam (or other generic non-stick spray) will be fine.  If I'm making muffins, I'll use liners or spray--I never grease them.  But with Banana Bread, butter and sugar make such an awesome crust.  So I'll grease the pans, then add 1/2 cup of sugar (or so) and tilt and tap the pan until it's all coated.  It takes a couple extra minutes, but it's totally worth it.  Trust me.  I got that tip from one of my mission companions Eva Pollock (Jorgenson), and I use it all the time.

Pour the batter into the prepared pans; they should be halfway to two-thirds full.  Then I sprinkle more granulated sugar on top to make it delightfully crusty.  I have used raw, golden cane sugar on top, and it was fabulous (it kind-of caramelizes), but regular granulated sugar works fine too.  The sugar sinks in, but don't worry--it will work.

I bake them in the center of the oven (make sure the pans aren't touching!), and I start checking them about 40 minutes.  You want a toothpick to come out clean, but you don't want the crusty top to burn.  If it's not quite ready, but the top is already browned, you can turn off the oven but leave the bread inside for around 10 minutes.  It works like a charm, and your house smells like a dream.

And there you have it!  The best Banana Bread recipe around.  Thank you, Soeur Brittany Burgon, from whom/whence this recipe came.  Enjoy!