quick breads Archives

Best Damn Banana Bread-Slipping in A New One

By threejamigos | August 29, 2020 | Comments 0 Comment

There are things you take for granted, things that are constants within your own universe.

For example, I have made the same banana bread forever. A recipe from my kids’ pre-school teacher WAY BACK in the day. Every time I strayed and tried a different recipe my family’s response was “it’s not bad, but it’s not Teacher Heidi’s banana bread”. Convinced, I boldly titled it “Best Damn Banana Bread” on 3Jamigos.

So, there I am, sitting on the can this morning, taking in all the bad news of the day, fires, hurricanes, pandemic, political craziness, when Wes slides the door open (please, don’t tell me you lock your bathroom door at home) and says…

”I like this banana bread more than your usual”

Say What?

Thus proving we are living in crazy times, I almost fell off my “throne”. I had just received a copy of Dominique Ansel’s new baking book, Everyone Can Bake. (Now, that is a constant in my universe-buying cookbooks) and had yet to make anything from it. Fortunately, while perusing the blogosphere, I found My Baking Addiction’s (Boss Blog) post on Ansel’s Banana Bread. Rave reviews all around. Never one to shy away from a banana bread challenge, I decided to have a go of it.

The recipe comes together quickly. It calls for melted butter, 4 bananas, eggs, flour…pretty standard although it is quite generous with the butter and bananas. I decided to tweak the recipe so I added diced apricots, substituted mace for nutmeg, and finished with Midwest Made’s crunchy sugar topping with a touch of cinnamon. (Technique for sugar from Midwest Made Banana Bread)

Nota Bene

Ansel’s book calls for an 8 x 4.5 loaf pan. NOPE. I used a 9×5 loaf pan and had extra batter for 3 muffins. Don’t try to pour all the batter into an 8 x 4.5 pan, it will overflow creating havoc in your oven. My Baking Addiction used a 10 x 5 pan. I filled my loaf pan to approximately 3/4-inch below the top edge. Baking time was around 1 hour and 15 minutes, halfway through I covered the top with foil so it wouldn’t get too dark.

It’s everything banana bread should be-dense, moist, and banana-y. The bits of apricot gave the bread a tart, sweet, component. My bet is dried strawberries, blueberries, or a tropical fruit medley would work too. If you like nuts, toss a handful of chopped walnuts in with the apricots or sprinkle on top of the loaf before baking.

Nota Nota Bene

The beauty of this recipe is you can make it by hand…and you absolutely should! I was befuddled (omg, who uses that word), a couple of times I have made this bread it sinks in the middle. I now think it is because I used a mixer and inadvertently beat too much air into the bread causing it to fall in the center. This is truly a one-bowl recipe to make by hand.

So, I now have two Best Damn Banana Bread recipes but as they say, variety is the spice of life. Try both, tell me which one reigns supreme.

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Banana Bread, Yet Another Best Damn BB

Banana Bread by Dominic Ansel. Easy and delicious!

Course quick breads

Cuisine American

Keyword Banana Bread, dominic ansel

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 1 15

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 cups sugar 400grams
2 cups flour 250 grams
¾ teaspoon baking soda 3 grams
¾ teaspoon nutmeg 2 grams can substitute mace
1 teaspoon salt 5 grams
1 teaspoon baking powder 5 grams

The Wet Ingredients

3 eggs 150 grams
4 overripe bananas, mashed 400 grams, approx 2 cups
14 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, 200 grams
1/2 cup dried apricots, diced substitute dried berries, or tropical fruit medley, optional
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans optional

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 10" x 5" x 3 ½" loaf pan and set aside. If you use a smaller pan, fill until the batter reaches 3/4-1 inch below the top edge. Excess batter can be used for muffins or mini-loaves.
In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, baking soda, nutmeg, salt and baking powder.
In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and the mashed bananas together. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and mix together until the dry ingredients disappear. Stir in the melted butter until fully incorporated. If using, fold in dried fruit and nuts.
Pour the batter into prepared pan* Bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check loaf halfway through, if the crust is browning too quickly, cover with foil. Allow to cool for 20 minutes before slicing.
*Optional: Mix 1 teaspoon cinnamon with 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Wet finger tips and mix sugar mixture until it clumps. Sprinkle evenly over top of batter. Or use your favorite streusel topping.

Pumpkin Apple Bread-Here, There, Everywhere

By threejamigos | December 1, 2016 | Comments 1 comment

Everywhere I turn I am reminded that Fall is upon us. Shorter days, cooler nights, falling leaves blanketing the ground….and pumpkin in EVERYTHING! Pumpkin spice lattes, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bars, cake, cookies, cheesecake, pancakes…augh! It is endless. But as much as the pumpkin onslaught has tempered my enthusiasm for all things pumpkin I still find myself wanting to pull out my loaf pans and bake some pumpkin bread. Today was the perfect day to do so. With rain in the forecast, it was time to hunker down at home in my jammies and bake. I pulled out a favorite recipe, Rebecca’s Apple and Pumpkin Bread from Gourmet magazine’s You Asked For It column. Moist and flavorful, spiced with cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, chunks of apples peppered throughout plus a crunchy cinnamon-sugar topping. It is a slice of yumminess. Perfect with a steaming cup of tea or coffee, especially on a wet, chilly day.

TWEAKS

I add chopped toasted pecans to the streusel topping to add some crunch and substitute brown sugar for part of the sugar in the topping. If you like the contrast of tart and sweet, use Granny Smiths or Pippins. I have used Golden Delicious, Fuji, and Mutsu apples with great results. Really, any apple that doesn’t break down works well. At times I use mace instead of nutmeg for a milder, subtle flavor and I add ginger to up the spice. The recipe makes two loaves of bread, one for now and one you can wrap and freeze for another day. Enjoy!

Apple Pumpkin Bread

Delicious, moist, spiced pumpkin bread with apples added.

Course Breads

Cuisine American

Keyword apple, crumb topping, Pumpkin Bread

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 1

Ingredients

For topping

1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons granulated sugar I use 3 T granulated sugar + 2 T brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or mace
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 15-oz can solid-pack pumpkin (original recipe calls for 16 ounce, add 1/4 cup applesauce if desired)
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2-1/4 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs lightly beaten
2 apples peeled, cored, and chopped (2 cups) I use Pippen and Fuji, your choice

Instructions

For topping: Blend together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and butter in a small bowl with your fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add nuts. Set aside.
For bread: Put a rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter two 9 X 5 inch loaf pans. Set aside.
Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg or mace, cloves, ginger and allspice into a medium bowl.
Whisk together pumpkin oil, sugar, and eggs in a large bowl.
Add flour mixture, stirring until well combined.
Fold in apples.
Divide batter between buttered loaf pans. Sprinkle half of topping evenly over each loaf.
Bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool loaves in pans on a rack for 45 minutes, then turn out onto rack and cool completely, about 1 hour.
Yield: two loaves.