Banana Nut Bread

I hate bananas.  I don’t like to eat them.  I don’t really like things flavored with them.  However, there are two applications of banana that I crave: banana nut bread and banana spring rolls.  I’ve wanted to tweak Ruhlman’s quick bread ratio to make a chocolate quick bread that has been bouncing around in my head.  To familiarize myself with the ratio, I made a very straight forward banana bread found in the book.  Next week, we’re going to make the chocolate creation.

For this recipe, we will need the following ingredients:

• 8 ounces unbleached white flour (about 1 and half cups)
• 4 ounces cane sugar (about 3/4 – 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 ounces milk (about 1 cup)
• 4 ounces eggs (2 large eggs)
• 4 ounces butter (1 stick)
• 7.5 – 8 oz mashed banana (2 very ripe bananas that have been frozen then thawed)
• 2.25 – 2.5 oz chopped toasted walnuts (1/3 cup) – These are optional.  Please obmit if you’re allergic.

Before you begin the recipe, do the following things:

• Toast walnuts in a 200 degree oven for 10-15 minutes.  Once toasted, chop and set aside.
• Melt the stick of butter
• Mash the bananas.

I really liked this banana bread.  It was just the right consistency, not too sweet with great banana flavor.  This is where the beauty of scale measuring comes in handy.  Place a bowl on the scale and tare the weight to bring it back down to zero.  This bowl should be the non-mixing bowl.  We’re going to weigh our dry ingredients in this bowl: flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.  Don’t add the walnuts.  Those come last.

In your mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, melted butter, and banana.  Mix them together on a low speed till things seem as one.  Add the dry ingredients to the bowl, about 1/3 of the non-mixing bowl’s contents at a time.

The result will seem like a thick batter, as quick breads tend to be more like a cake or muffin batter than a true bread dough.  At this point, add the walnuts and fold into the quick bread batter.

Grease your preferred loaf pan with non-stick spray and pour the batter into it.  This bread will bake at 350 degrees F until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Mine took about 35-40 minutes.  If you use mini loaf pans, they might take less time.  If you use a regular size loaf pan, it could take more like 50 minutes.

Just watch for the loaf to turn a beautiful golden brown, then insert the tootpick (or bamboo skewer, which is what I typically use).  Once done, remove to a wire rack and allow to cool.

Voila!  Banana nut bread, one of the simplest things to make and bake.  I like giving these as gifts to friends and family sometimes.  With the holidays coming, that’s always a fun idea!

Happy Baking, everyone!  ~Jenn of Not Exactly Bento

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Banana Nut Bread

(from Ruhlman’s Ratio)

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces unbleached white flour (about 1 and half cups)
• 4 ounces cane sugar (about 3/4 – 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 8 ounces milk (about 1 cup)
• 4 ounces eggs (2 large eggs)
• 4 ounces butter (1 stick)
• 7.5 – 8 oz mashed banana (2 very ripe bananas that have been frozen then thawed)
• 2.25 – 2.5 oz chopped toasted walnuts (1/3 cup) – These are optional. Please obmit if you’re allergic.

The Method:

• To prep, do the following three things:
• Toast walnuts in a 200 degree oven for 10-15 minutes. Chop once toasted.
• Melt the stick of butter
• Mash the bananas.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• In a bowl (the one you aren’t going to use for mixing), measure in all the dry ingredients (except the walnuts): flour, sugar, salt, baking powder.
• In a second bowl (the on you’ll using for mixing), measure in the the wet ingredients: milk, eggs, melted butter, and banana.
• On a low speed, mix together the wet ingredients till things seem as one.
• Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix into the wet ingredients. Keep adding until all of the dry ingredients are added to the mixture and incorporated with the wet ingredients. The result will seem like a thick batter
• Fold the walnuts into the batter by using a spatula or wooden spoon.
• Pour the batter into a greased loaf pan.
• Bake the bread until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Baking time ranges from 30 – 50 minutes depending on the size loaf pan you use.