Banana Bread

I just don't get it...

I can make sourdough bread no problem.

I can't make banana bread. It never comes out in any sort of edible fashion...

Can I freeze the bananas? (I've been told "Yes, that helps them turn brown and mushy faster. Plus, you can keep them longer." and "Hell no! You never freeze the bananas. Just let them turn brown on the table.")

What can cause the bread to come out marbled? (It's supposed to come out like zucchini bread -- all one consistency. But mine always comes out marbled... if not mushy and internally uncooked. )

Any suggestions? (Would it help to post the recipe I've been using?)

I might be able to help you out on this one.

First, you have to let the bananas ripen and turn spotty to dark brown on there own. Never use bananas that aren't at least this ripe.



The reason for this is that they produce more sugar as they ripen, and become much more flavorful. After the bananas are fully ripe you can freeze them for up to a year if the skins are still on and they are in freezer bags with almost all the air removed.

Freezing a yellow banana will turn it brown, but it will lack the sweetness and flavor. And don't try to brown them in the microwave, they taste like crap.




Here's the recipe I use, and just double it if you want more loaves.

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1/3 cup whole milk or light cream
1 tsp vanilla (not the artificial crap)


2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped nuts (a mix of walnuts, macadamia, and almond is nice)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt


Pre-heat oven to 350F after you have gathered all your ingredients.


Mix the top portion together with a mixer until well blended.
Mix the bottom section in a separate bowl using a spoon, but mix well.

Combine your wet and dry ingredients using a spoon, and again, blend very well to avoid a marble appearance.

Grease your bread pan with butter and scoop your goop into it.
Bake for about 45 - 55 minutes, depending on your oven and how deep your pan is. I like to put a cookie sheet under my bread pan to prevent the bottom of the loaf from turning too dark or burning.

The best way to test if it's properly baked is to insert a toothpick into the center when it looks done, and if the toothpick is goopy you leave it a bit longer.

This also makes great cupcakes and you can always put on some vanilla icing and finely chopped nuts sprinkled on top for that added touch.



Good luck, let me know how it turns out.



EDIT: So now I want tit for tat. Can you post your sourdough bread recipe ?

I'd also like to see the recipe you've been using to make your banana bread.

[edit on 21/8/2007 by anxietydisorder]

Tit for tat is fair.

And Thank You! for your reply! (I love the sign on your microwave! )

The recipe that I have for banana bread is very similar to yours, actually.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
1 c. sugar
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 eggs
4 bananas
1/2 c. chopped nuts (optional)

Mix butter & sugar; then 1 egg at a time; then remainder of dry ingredients. Finally, mix in mashed bananas, and add nuts.

Grease & flour small loaf pans. Heat oven to 350 F. Bake for 1 hour.


That's it....

I shall try yours, as it is more specific with the amount of banana.


And here's my sourdough recipe.

Starter Batter:
2 c. lukewarm water
1 packet active dry yeast (or 1/4 oz of live yeast)
1 1/2 c. bread flour

Whisk together (in medium bowl). Cover loosely and set in warm, draft free place for 8-12 hours (or overnight).

On average, the starter makes 1 1/2 cups to 2 1/2 cups.

Dough:

If you've got 1 1/2 c. starter, use 1 c. water, 2 tblsp. sugar, 1 tblsp. salt, 5-6 c. flour, and 4 tblsp. melted butter.

If you've got 2 c. starter, use 1 1/3 c. water, 2 tblsp, 2 tsp. sugar, 1 tblsp., 1 tsp. salt, 7-8 c. flour, and 5 tblsp., 1 tsp. melted butter.

If you've got 2 1/2 c. starter, use 1 2/3 c. water, 3 tblsp., 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tblsp., 2 tsp. salt, 9-10 c. flour and 6 tblsp., 2 tsp. melted butter.

(Sorry, I had a table for that, but it's not transferring correctly.)

In a large bowl, whisk together starter and water, then sugar and salt, then 2 1/2 c. flour. Add butter (minus about 1 tblsp.) to mix, then work in remaining flour until dough is smooth and elastic. (Don't always need all the flour; and conversely, don't be afraid to add a little extra if it's needed.)

In a greased bowl (medium-large), place rounded dough. (Can turn it over to grease both sides if you think there might be a draft.) Cover and let rise for 1-1/2 hours, until dough has doubled in bulk. (*) Punch, knead, return to bowl (may have to re-grease) for another 1-1/2 hours.

((*)) When letting dough rise -- feel the dough beforehand (it's dense), then feel again before punching (feels spongy). On the very last rise (there's 3 total), make sure the dough feels light and spongy. Feel free to leave the dough longer than 1-1/2 hours -- it's better to wait and have a lighter dough than rely solely on the timer.

Punch and knead dough on lightly floured surface until smooth. (If there was a draft, the top of the dough will be hard. Add a little water and knead to your heart's content.) Divide dough (usually in half, sometimes in thirds) and place in greased bread pans. Cover and let rise for 45 min. to 1 hour.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush loaves with remaining butter, then make a few diagonal slashes on top of the bread. (I've negated the butter and slashes -- the bread looks like a rectangular mushroom, but doesn't hinder the taste any. I've heard of people using egg whites, but I've never tried it.)

Bake for 45-50 minutes -- until golden brown and hollow when tapped. Transfer to cooling racks.

I personally love to knead, and this bread works great for that. The more you knead, the more heat is transferred and created, and the bread rises better. (Tastes better too.)

You can alter the salt -- I've been decreasing the salt each time I make it. (I'm on an as-little-as-possible-salt kick right now. ) Less salt doesn't seem to affect the dough, or the rising too much. It just makes the bread taste more yeasty than salty.

Also, (and this is just me), I think the bread tastes better if you use the dry active yeast. Others will disagree. I just love the smell of all that yeasty goodness...


Enjoy! (((And, again, Thank You!!)))


Oh, and P.S. This recipe is fun for mixing stuff into. I've put in shredded Parmesan (that was yummy), I've tried olive oil with rosemary and garlic (be careful with the oils -- while the bread rises and bakes right, the bread becomes really super heavy in your stomach. I haven't figured this one out yet, but it was damn good), and I'm debating if the crust of the bread would work as a bowl for soup...

This is the recipe I use

Jen's Banana Bread

I Cup oil (I use canola)
2 Cups Sugar
4 Large eggs
7 really ripe, frozen but thawed banana's - it gives the best flavor...trust me!
1 tsp salt
2 tsps Baking Soda
2 1/2 Cups Flour
Heat oven to 350*

******Raw sugar for later use*******

Mix it all together, add flour last pour batter in greased/floured loaf pans, or muffin pans and sprinkle raw sugar (turbinado) all over the top of the batter.

Big loafs take about an hour, little loafs....30 to 40 mins? Muffins...about 20 to 25 minutes..but I'm at a 1000 foot elevation...if that matters.

Originally posted by jensouth31
I'm at a 1000 foot elevation...if that matters.

Thanks for adding a recipe Jen, and yes, elevation make a difference.
Things cook quicker in Los Angeles, California, than they do in Denver Colorado.

Have you ever tried to cook pasta or rice at a very high altitude ???
It can be done if you adjust the time and maintain a rolling boil.
Elevation is always a consideration........

100 C is at the level of the ocean for boiling water.
Move to Denver and it drops to about 95 C. because of the lower air pressure.
Climb up a really high mountain and you might get a boiling point of 75 C.

On the other side, I think things cook a bit quicker in Death Valley due to added pressure, but that's probably minimal.

If you live at an extreme difference from sea level you always need to adjust your recipes due to atmospheric pressure.


(Hard to believe we're talking about atmospheric pressure in a cooking forum. It sounds like something the aircraft forum should be talking about.)

And just a note: Don't try to cook a roast or make coffee in an unpressurized plane over 25,000 ft...........
It just won't cook, unless you like your beef really rare, and your coffee week and only barely warm.


I'd hate to try to make banana bread on Mars, it would be hell to figure out the recipe.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder

Originally posted by jensouth31
I'm at a 1000 foot elevation...if that matters.

Thanks for adding a recipe Jen, and yes, elevation make a difference.
Things cook quicker in Los Angeles, California, than they do in Denver Colorado.

I know it matters, I put that tidbit in for others to adjust accordingly. You are so right about Colorado...I spent a week in Colorado Springs at the broadmoor...just breathing at that altitude the concentration of oxygen, and air pressure is much different!

Try that recipe AD...All the boys in the neighborhood love it, and will ask me to make it for them. I always have my ripe bananas in the freezer and ready to go One of the boys has gone off to college, when his mom goes to see him I always give her a big loaf to take along just for him. He calls and tells me how amazing it is. Makes me smile

[edit on 8/23/2007 by jensouth31]