I really like bread. Everything from the showstopper Couronne to the lowly toasted crouton, if it’s bread, I’ll eat it!
I remember the first time I tried bread that wasn’t sliced white sandwich bread. I was still young enough to be in single digits and was with my parents at a restaurant for breakfast. Mom was trying to encourage me to try the Zucchini bread, but I was having none of it. I had eaten way too much badly cooked Zucchini at that point in my young life and had no interest in trying that yucky green stuff bread style.
Eventually, I gave in (Mom said it was good, after all), and of course, I loved the Zucchini bread which started me on my own journey of bread discovery. From that point on if we were out for a meal, I would ask what types of bread were available and try something new, which irritated my parents to no end.
My favorite non-yeasted bread is banana bread, and I think the recipe I’ve developed is the best. My backup for that opinion is the fact that I've had people offer to buy it from me (and I've even sold a few loaves here and there). The original recipe came from a home economics book that my mom made while she was in high school, and I’ve been tweaking it through the years to fit my own taste.
There’s a secret I’ve picked up along the way that I’m happy to share with you, and it’s one that works every time. It works well with any bread that you want to stay moist, such as Banana bread, Zucchini bread, Chocolate loaf, etc. It does add a delay of satisfaction in that you can’t eat the bread right away but believe me when I say it’s worth it!
Once the bread is pulled from the oven, leave it in the pan on a cooling rack to cool for about 10 - 15 minutes. This is to allow some of the moisture to evaporate so that the bread doesn’t become gummy after it’s wrapped. While it is cooling, pull a piece of plastic wrap large enough to cover the entire loaf of bread. You may need to place two pieces side by side to make a large enough piece of wrap to cover the entire loaf.
After the loaf of bread has cooled for 10 – 15 minutes, remove it from the bread pan and place it in the plastic wrap and wrap it up. Leave overnight (or at least for a couple of hours), before serving. To store the bread after that, parchment or waxed paper is your best bet.
Another thing to gild that lily – I like to add 1/3 cup of chocolate chips. 😊
I've added a downloadable PDF of the recipe at the end of this post. Happy eating!!!
Best Banana Bread Recipe
Prep time: approximately 15 – 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Ingredients:
5 Tbsp Butter, salted
½ Cup granulated Sugar
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar (light or dark will work fine)
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups of mashed very ripe bananas.
1-3/4 cups ap flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp baking powder
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped walnuts.
Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray bottom only of a 9 x 5 loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray, or vegetable oil, or butter. Whatever you have on hand. It’s not necessary, but I add a strip of parchment paper that comes out the sides, which makes the bread really easy to lift out when finished baking.
Beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add both the granulated and brown sugars and beat well. Add the vanilla, egg, and egg whites, and beat until well mixed. Add the mashed banana and beat rapidly for about 30 seconds.
Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the heavy cream and ending with the flour mixture. Once all that is combined, add the walnuts (and chocolate chips, if desired), and mix well to combine.
Pour the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake until nicely browned on the top, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. For me without fail, it’s been 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Cool the bread in the pan as instructed previously, for 10 to 15 minutes. As instructed above, remove it from the bread pan and place it in the plastic wrap and wrap it up. Leave overnight (or at least for a couple of hours), before serving. To store the bread after that, parchment or waxed paper is your best bet.
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