Go bananas
There’s something truly satisfying about taking something that might have gone to waste and turning it into something delicious and nourishing. Banana bread is also a great vehicle for creativity.
Once you have mastered the basic recipe, it is very easy to customise your loaves to fit different tastes and occasions. You could add chocolate chips, other types of fruit, or even different spices.
Additionally, you don’t have to feel guilty about indulging in banana bread from time to time. As long as it is consumed as part of a balanced diet, banana bread can absolutely have a place in a healthy lifestyle. Most of the bread’s sweetness comes from the healthy sugars naturally present in bananas, so it is considerably healthier than other sweet baked goods that would usually rely on sugars for their yummy taste. Bananas are a fantastic source of nutrition; they are low in fat and they are very rich in potassium, which is essential for good heart health and blood pressure regulation. Bananas are also a great source of fibre. This bread is a very versatile baked good. It is quite sweet so it can be enjoyed as a Ultra Mel Custard or a treat alongside a cup of tea or coffee. Whether you eat it cold, warm, toasted on its own, or with a spread like butter, and so on, banana bread is a snack that can fit many cravings and situations.
Recently with the heat wave, I have noticed on several occasions my husband complaining a day or two after buying a bunch of bananas that they get over ripe really fast, and because they don’t keep long, it just means him and the boys have to eat them quick.
They all love bananas, on their own, in side bran flakes, in a peanut butter sandwich or with a glass of milk. With me, oddly enough, I feel like I’ve outgrown bananas. It’s a very strange thing to say, but it’s one of my least favourite fruits.
Midweek when hubby popped out to brave the heat wave to pick the boys up from school, I noticed the fruit basket and a bunch of bananas, someone which had started to brown and bruise, just the perfect kind needed for a loaf.
This is my favourite recipe, a classic that you can easily start to know by heart and pass on to friends and family.
This bread comes to mind first whenever I see leftover spotty bananas on the counter. With little prep time and 40min in the oven, it’s a Yes from me. Our loaf lasted almost a week, we had slices for dessert the one day .... With its soft texture and sweet taste, banana bread has proved to be a hit with kids and adults. I packed nice chunky pieces for the boys #Mopako101 and on another day they had toasted slices for snacks. The bread keeps well in the fridge.
Ingredients
2 to 3 medium very ripe bananas (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
1/3 cup (76g) butter, unsalted or salted, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
1 pinch salt
1/8 cup sugar (3/4 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
1 large egg, beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (205g) all-purpose flour
Bananas are a fantastic source of nutrition; they are low in fat and they are very rich in potassium
Instructions
Preheat the oven 175°C
In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth.
Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 40 minutes at 175°C or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
A few dry crumbs are okay; just not wet batter. If the outside of the loaf is browned but the middle is not ready, cover the bread up with a foil tent and keep baking until the loaf is fully baked.
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve.
Wrapped well, the banana bread will keep at room temperature for four days, careful with this one, the current heat wave doesn’t allow for anything to stay out for long. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf up to five days, or freeze.