Goodness, I must apologize for my absence. It has been a crazy few weeks. Between my husband’s surgery and recovery, juggling work with the kids’ school schedules, and of course the kids’ extracurricular activities. I could not have made it through the last few weeks without the help of my Mother-in-law (MIL), Sister-in-law (SIL) and of course my mom too. They have been everywhere between helping me with carpool, homework with the kids, picking up dinner, etc. You name it they’ve been right here helping me. The last few weeks can be summed up into one word: CHAOS.
As chaotic as it has been for us as a family, I find comfort in doing familiar activities. One of these activities for me include baking. Not just baking but making one of my favorite things: Banana Bread (feel free to jump to the recipe if you’re not in the mood to read my ranting: Recipes ). There are very few things that bring me joy anymore at the grocery store but one constant is finding that bargain bag of over-ripe bananas in the produce section. You really cannot beat this deal. The bag of about 12 over-ripe bananas runs a whopping bill of $1.00 (plus tax). Seriously, makes my day when I score one of these bags.
It doesn’t happen often, but when I do get my hands on one of these bargain bags, I absolutely ALWAYS make a loaf of banana bread. If I cannot get my hands on one of these bags, I most certainly have a bunch of over-ripe bananas from my kids telling me they need bananas and then decline them every time they are offered.
The bread is so warm and comforting. Best of all it is so versatile. You can eat it for breakfast or dessert. The recipe that I use you can completely omit adding sugar as the amount of bananas add just enough sweetness. You can also add dried fruits such as cranberries or even add in chopped nuts for a little texture. My family’s favorite: Pistachios.
The recipe has no added sugar but it is not lacking in flavor. Best of all, it can be made in 1 medium sized bowl. Very little mess, especially if you cook like me, without measuring. The batter comes together in about 10 minutes. While the bake time is about 55-60 minutes, it is definitely worth the wait.
You’ll want to start off by preheating your oven to 350 F. Peel your bananas and place them into your medium sized bowl and start smashing away. To the bananas you’ll add your wet ingredients: melted butter, 1 beaten egg, and vanilla extract.
I failed mention that you will also grease your pan.
To this same bowl you will also add your dry ingredients: all purpose flour, baking soda (NOT baking powder), salt, cinnamon, and any add-ins you want (nuts, dried fruit, or even swirl in nutella).
Side note: if you prefer something on the sweeter side, you can add some sugar at this point. I recommend only 1/2 a cup or less of sugar if you do decide to add sugar as it is already pretty sweet.
Pour the batter into your greased 8 x 4 loaf pan and put it into the oven. Bake it for about 60 minutes. If you do not have an 8x 4 loaf pan you can use a 9 x 5 but the loaf will come out a lot flatter and not as full as the 8 x 4 loaf pan. While it may not be as beautiful and full, it will not lack in the delcious-ness department.
Upon checking this loaf with a toothpick you will find that it will not come out completely clean because of the amount of bananas in the recipe. However, it should not be completely sopping wet either. I find that 60 minutes is plenty of time for the loaf to bake. Once you’re done baking allow the loaf to cool in the pan and turn it out after about 10 minutes.
Let me know if you try the recipe. I’d love the see photos or hear about what modifications you’ve made. You can find the recipe here: Recipes.
