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	Sunday, January 11, 2009

For folks who are wondering why I wrote the Banana Bread recipe below in such a simplistic way: I like to write them as if teaching a newbie to cook, outlining all the prep, for instance, before getting on to the actual cooking. It helps me, and my kids, for whom I'm writing up most of these newer recipes.
11:42:20 AM    comments [] trackback []
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How about a little dessert?

Great for toast. Try using crumbs as a garnish on various desserts.

Take out of the refrigerator to warm up for 30 minutes

     2 eggs
     1 Tbsp butter

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Sift into a medium bowl

     1 3/4 cups flour

Remove one Tbsp of flour and set aside to dust the baking pan. Add to the flour in the bowl

     1 tsp baking soda
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     1/4 tsp salt

Stir the flour mixture well.

Butter a 9" X 5" X 3" metal loaf pan with the softened butter, pour in the reserved flour and knock it around the pan, pouring out the excess when the buttered surface is evenly covered.

Pour into a 1-cup glass measure, for mise en place at the electric mixer

     1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a dry medium skillet, toast

     3/4 cup walnuts

Allow them to cool, chop coarsely and add to flour mixture. Into another medium bowl near the electric mixer, mash

     4 very ripe bananas*

Add

     2 Tbsp cream, milk or half-and-half
     1 tsp vanilla

Into a large electric mixer bowl, measure

     1 cup of sugar

Break the warmed eggs into the bowl with the sugar, then use the mixer to beat the eggs and sugar together at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until the mixture is pale and thick and forms a flat ribbon when the beater is lifted. Reduce mixer speed to low and while continuing to mix, add the vegetable oil in a slow stream. Then add the banana mixture. Remove mixer from the batter and with a large spoon gently stir in the flour and walnut mixture, just until completely incorporated. Don't overstir!

Pour batter into buttered loaf pan, spreading evenly, and bake in the middle of the pre-heated oven for about 1 hour, or until golden brown and a toothpick or bamboo skewer inseted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. The bread will be quite dark.

Cool the loaf in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. Cool completely (about 2 hours).

*You can make this recipe with fewer bananas (down to 2), but it won't be as moist and the flavor won't be as rich. It might also take slightly longer to bake and will be lighter in color.

Notes: This bread can be frozen. Recipe can be doubled.

Keywords: Baking, Dessert, Quick Bread, Breakfast

11:37:25 AM    comments [] trackback []
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