This recipe for banana bread fascinated me, as
it takes 6 bananas in the recipe. Also the bananas are heated, juiced, and
the juice reduced! I had never heard of this technique before, so I just had
to give it a try. I very slightly adapted a few instructions in the recipe.
Read my additional comments at the end of the recipe
on making this banana bread.
Check out Linda's Bread Making Hints:
Secrets to using the bread machine, About
yeast in bread making,
Sourdough Starter,
and
Quick Breads.
Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe
Recipe Type:
Quick Bread,
Bananas
Yields: 1 loaf
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 50 min
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose
flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt (fine salt not coarse)
6 large (about 2 1/4 pounds) very ripe
bananas, (preferably overripe)*
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
2 large
eggs, slightly beaten
3/4 cup packed light brown
sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons granulated sugar (to top the unbaked loaf)
*
To ripen bananas, allow green or
yellow bananas to ripen at room temperature until the skin is covered
with brown spots.
Don't even
think of make banana bread with anything less than very ripe, heavily
speckled fruit - unless you're fine with a bland loaf.
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Adjust oven rack to lower middle
position. Spray one (1) 9x5-inch loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk
together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Place five (5) peeled bananas
in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents
in the plastic wrap with a paring knife. Microwave on high power until the
bananas are soft and have released liquid, approximately 5 minutes.
Remove
from microwave and transfer the bananas to a fine-mesh strainer placed over
a medium-size bowl. Allow to drain, stirring occasionally, for 15 minute.
You should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup liquid after straining. NOTE: I
had a total 1 cup of banana liquid after straining. Set aside the
remaining banana mixture in the strainer.
Transfer the banana
liquid to a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Let simmer until the
banana liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup, approximately 5 minutes.
NOTE: Since I had 1 cup of banana liquid to reduce, it
took me 15 minutes to reduce the liquid to 1/4 cup.
Remove pan from
heat and and stir the reduced banana liquid into the set aside banana
mixture; mash
with a potato masher until fairly smooth. NOTE: I put
the banana mixture into my blender for a few seconds. Whisk in the
melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla extract.
Pour the banana mixture
into the flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of
flour remaining. Gently fold in the walnuts or pecans.
Pour the batter into
the prepared bread pan.
Slice the remaining
peeled banana diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Shingle the banana
sliced on top of both sides of the loaf, leaving 1 1/2-inc-wide space down
the center to ensure even rising. Sprinkle the 2 teaspoon sugar evenly over
the top of the loaf.
Bake 50 to to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center
comes out clean. NOTE: Be sure and poke the toothpick
already to the center of the loaf.
A good check is to use an instant
digital thermometer
to test your bread. The temperature of the bread should be
at 200 degrees F. when done.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack 10 minutes; remove
from pan. Cool completely before slicing.
Makes one (1) loaf.
Linda's
Comments: While the banana bread was good, I didn't think it
was any better than other banana bread recipes that I have on my web
site. The texture was more
like a cake than bread. I, personally, would increase the amount of nuts
to 1 cup. This bread is more labor intensive because of
making juice with the bananas. The banana slices on top of the loaf
looked pretty before cutting the bread, but dropped off when cutting the
bread into slices. Would I make this recipe again? Maybe as it made an
interesting experiment with my husband eagerly waiting the tasting
results.
