Fresh Banana Bread

from Farmhouse Cookbook
by Susan Hermann Loomis

This recipe was inspired by a fresh bunch of small, sweet bananas that was handed to me by Wayne Boynton, a sugar cane farmer in Florida who also has a row of banana trees on his land.

This banana bread is hearty, not too sweet, and ideal for a bread pudding because it bakes up firm, slightly less moist than traditional banana bread. If you want to use this recipe for Banana Bread Pudding, omit the walnuts, nutmeg, and lemon zest, and increase the baking time to 1 hour.

6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (1/3 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup mashed banana (from 2 large bananas)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons minced lemon zest

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly oil a 9 x 5 x 3-inch loaf pan.

2. Sift the flour, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together on a sheet of waxed paper, and set aside.

3. Cream the butter in a medium-size bowl until light. Add the sugar and beat until thoroughly mixed and light. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add the mashed bananas, vanilla, and lemon zest. Mix well, then fold in the walnuts. Fold in the dry ingredients until thoroughly incorporated.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, run the blade of a knife lengthwise through the batter (to prevent the bread from cracking on top as it rises during baking), and bake until the bread is golden and springs back when lightly touched, 45 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven, un-mold the bread onto a wire rack, and let it cool before serving.

Banana Bread

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Kids Baking
by Abigail Johnson Dodge (Oxmoor House, 2003)

Use very ripe bananas to make this easy banana bread.

Ingredients
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 medium very ripe bananas, peeled
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preparation
Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inch metal loaf pan with butter.

Make the batter
In a bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, smash the bananas with a fork. Add the sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla and beat with the wooden spoon until well blended.

Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture and stir just until blended.

Bake the bread
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading it evenly with the wooden spoon. Put the pan in the oven and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it, about 45 minutes.

Using oven mitts, remove the pan from the oven, set it on a wire cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.

Remove the bread from the pan
Gently run a table knife along the inside edge of the pan to loosen the bread from the sides.

Using oven mitts, turn the pan on its side and slip the loaf out onto the wire rack. Let the loaf cool for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 1 loaf.