A few days ago, I got a phone call from a friend who said she couldn’t find the delicious Banana Bread recipe she had tasted at my home on my website and asked if I could send it to her as she wanted to make it for her Easter Sunday brunch.
I was happy to send her a copy but then I thought, what a lovely idea . . . so here it is on my website for all to enjoy!
This recipe is really easy to make and truly aromatic as long as you use ripe or overripe bananas. So either you need to plan to have some extra ripe bananas handy or get into the habit of placing peeled, overripe bananas you may have in your fridge into re-sealable plastic bags and freezing them for use in a recipe like the one I’m sharing today. Before use though, make sure to bring the bananas to room temperature!
Banana Bread Recipe
Ingredients
2/3 cups milk
1 tblsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 full tsp baking powder
¾ tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
125g butter
2/3 cups sugar
2 large eggs
2 very ripe large bananas (peeled & mashed)
½ -1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
Preparation Method
Mix together milk and lemon juice and let stand for a few minutes to allow milk to curdle.
Mix together the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda and set aside.
In a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in one egg at a time. Now add the bananas and continue to beat. The mixture will look a bit curdled but that is OK.
Now, add the flour mixture alternately with the milk and mix together very carefully until you have a smooth batter. This can be done by hand or in mixer. If doing this in mixer, use low speed!
Lastly, stir in the walnuts if using. ( I like this bread with or without the nuts!)
Place batter in two small loaf pans* or 1 large one and bake in preheated oven (175 ̊ C or 350 ̊F) for 50 – 60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Once baked, remove banana bread from oven and leave to cool in pan for about 20 minutes. Then, invert the bread onto a baking rack and allow to cool completely.
Enjoy for breakfast or any time you feel like!
Tips!
Use bananas that are very ripe; mushy on the inside and browning.
*Pans should be lightly greased and dusted with flour before use. Also, please note that the baking time of the bread will depend on the type and size of loaf pan used. Please make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly.
This recipe is also great for making muffins. As I mentioned above, make sure to adjust baking time according to the size of muffins you want to make.
The bread will keep fresh for at least 4 days (wrapped in plastic wrap) at room temperature and for a month or so in freezer.
This recipe is perfect to do ahead of time as it freezes really well. Sometimes for extra freshness I heat it up before use, when thawed; especially when baked as muffins.
©KaritasM – April 2020