Banana Bread Verdict

It seems like everybody and their mothers and their mother’s uncle’s best friend’s dog-walker has made banana bread, and probably has made it quite well.

The research started at our favorite check points including Epicurious.  The search became somewhat circular when we found this recipe on Smitten Kitchen in which she pays homage to this recipe.  Later we discovered the blog Everybody Likes Sandwiches and found her recipe which she adapted from Smitten Kitchen’s adaptation.

We decided to start with a recipe passed down by an old friend of Zach’s, but we were intrigued by the “jacking up” and adapting done by Smitten Kitchen, who is always fabulous.  We adapted Mariko’s recipe similarly, using what we had available, but to Smitten Kitchen’s tune.  Each recipe makes a moist, but dense and large banana bread loaf.

 

4 photos lost when the old site was hacked. Newer posts will have photos.

Mariko’s Banana Bread (our base recipe)

Mariko says:

You will need:

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons margarine (we used butter, mmm mmmm mmmmmm…)

1/2 cup + 3 tablespoons sugar

3 eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups (1 1/4 wheat, 1 1/4 white is best) flour (we only had white)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 ripe (ya know, with the brown spots) bananas

3 tablespoons milk

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 inch loaf pan. 

In a medium bowl, cream margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Peel bananas, mash with a fork or process in a blender. Stir banana pulp and vanilla into a creamed mixture.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into a creamed mixture with milk. Turn batter into greased loaf pan; smooth surface. Bake 1- 1 1/4 hrs. (or until you can stick a fork into it, and it comes out clean).  Then transfer to a cooling rack.

 

Mariko’s Banana Bread’s Twisted Cousin

½ cup + 2 tbsp butter

½ cup + 3 tbsp dark brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

4 ripe bananas

3 tbsp milk

1 tbsp and 1 tsp Irish Whiskey

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 9 1/4 x 5 1/4 inch loaf pan.

In a medium bowl, cream margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Peel bananas, mash with a fork or process in a blender. Stir banana pulp and vanilla into a creamed mixture.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold into a creamed mixture with milk. Turn batter into greased loaf pan; smooth surface. Bake for 1 ½ hrs or until the cake tester comes out clean.  Transfer to a cooling rack.

We loved the flavors in the twisted one and would consider adding a little more whiskey and cinnamon next time, but the subtlety here was nothing to complain about.