Over-the-Top Banana Bread

I’m in banana bread heaven. This is not your grandmother's or even your mama’s banana bread. When I was thinking about how to describe this bread, over the top was the first thing that came to my mind.

This bread is featured in the October 2012 Issue of Cooking Light Magazine, and according to the article, this is no ordinary banana bread. It is lighter and the flavor is over the top. I totally agree.

 

It is over the top in terms of texture and taste, but not tricky at all to make. It’s a new twist on a old theme. It is made with medium-ripe bananas sautéed in butter and brown sugar.  Once it’s baked, you drizzle a browned butter glaze over the top. The flavor is superb!  The Ultimate Banana Bread I made the other day is so good, but this one is pure deliciousness!  Now I have two outstanding banana bread recipes to enjoy.

Thinking about over-the-top flavor reminded me of a dance move I learned when I was taking tap lessons. It’s called, you guessed it, “Over the Top.” You may have seen Gene Kelly perform this step. It’s a tricky move, but he made it look so easy (as with everything else he did). If I remember correctly, to perform this move, you hold one leg out in front of you, then you cross the other leg over the top and twist and jump to land on the other foot.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to know how to tap dance to make this bread. You don’t even need to have really ripe bananas on hand for this one. I think that’s the best part. No waiting for the bananas to ripen then forgetting about them.

 

Caramelized Banana Bread with Browned Butter Glaze

Yield: 1 Loaf

Recipe from: Cooking Light Magazine October 2012 Edition

Refer to the list of ingredients on the Cooking Light web site.

I followed the recipe except I substituted almond milk for the half and half in the glaze and olive oil for the canola oil in the batter.

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Note: The recipe calls for softened butter. I’m not sure why because you melt it in the pan for the batter and for the glaze. So if you are pressed for time, you don’t have to wait for the butter to soften. At least not in my opinion. This would’ve saved me some time for sure.

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Here’s how you do it:

1) Start with medium-ripe bananas.  Here are the bananas I used.

 

2) Sauté the bananas and dark brown sugar in melted butter until the bananas are soft.  It smells so good and tastes divine.  You’ll want to taste test this part.

 

3) Transfer the banana mixture to a mixing bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth.

 

4) Mix the dry ingredients together and the wet ingredients together and add them alternately to the banana mixture.

 

5) Spread the batter in a loaf pan. They used a 9 x 5-inch nonstick loaf pan sprayed with baking spray with flour; I used an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch glass pan sprayed with real olive oil, not spray oil. My loaf didn’t burn at all nor did it stick to the pan.

 

6) Bake the loaf in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven on the middle rack for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

 

7) Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

 

8) Remove the bread from the pan, and cool on the wire rack.

 

9) Melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter begins to brown, then add the powdered sugar and milk. Whisk until the mixture is smooth.  Drizzle over the bread.

 

10) Let the bread stand until the glaze sets if you can. This is what it looks like after the glaze has set.

 

11) Slice and enjoy! 

 

This bread tastes really good, I mean really good. I almost omitted the glaze. I’m glad I didn’t because the glaze is what sends the taste over the top. This is definitely a keeper!  

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Flavorful Banana Bread without the gumminess

I’ve always loved Banana Bread. It’s one of the first breads I learned how to make when I was a little girl, and I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it. Growing up, we had it with breakfast or as a snack, and I still enjoy it that way today.

Even though I never grow tired of banana bread, it is sometimes hit or miss as to whether it turns out. For me, it’s one of the easiest breads to make, but it is also one of the easiest breads to mess up. It can be tricky to get a moist loaf that tastes great and isn’t gummy on the inside.

Recently, I tried a banana bread recipe three times, and the loaf came out gummy every time. That’s frustrating because not only is it a waste of ingredients, it’s a waste of time. Plus, when you’ve got your mouth set on enjoying a slice of warm sweet bread, and instead you get a sticky slice without much flavor, it’s a bummer to say the least.

I gave up on that recipe, but I heard about a different method for making banana bread that brings out the flavor and reduces the gumminess. I had ripe bananas and the time to bake so I decided to test this method for myself.

 

Ultimate Banana Bread

Makes: 1 Loaf

From: America’s Test Kitchen

Refer to the list of ingredients and the tips for choosing ripe bananas on the America’s Test Kitchen site.

I pretty much followed the Test Kitchen’s recipe and instructions for my experiment, except I used 4 really ripe bananas in the batter instead of 5 and one fairly ripe banana on top because that’s all I had. I also sprinkled sugar in the raw on top instead of granulated sugar.

The process for making this bread is really cool so I’ve documented the steps below:

The first thing you do is release the juices from the bananas to boost the flavor.

Place the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl. They suggested that you cover it with plastic wrap and cut steam vents. However, I don’t use plastic wrap in the microwave so I covered it with a paper towel.  Microwave the bananas on high until the liquid is released and the bananas are soft.  This will take about 3-5 minutes. 

 

Place the bananas in a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl.  Allow the liquid to drain into the bowl until you have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of juice.  Mash down with a spoon to release the juices if necessary. The recipe indicates this process could take 15 minutes, but it didn’t take very long for my bananas to release enough juice for 1/2 cup.

 

Transfer the liquid to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the liquid is reduced to 1/4 cup.  This will take about 5 minutes. 

 

Remove the pan from the heat, then stir the liquid into the bowl with the bananas.  Mash the bananas with a potato masher until they are fairly smooth.

 

Whisk the melted butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla into the banana mixture.

 

Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a large bowl, then pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture.  Mix just until the batter is combined, but there are still some streaks of flour showing. If you are using walnuts, fold them in at this point.

 

Scrape the batter into prepared baking pans.  I used 8 1/2 by 4 1/2-inch glass pans.  This is the size recommended by the Test Kitchen and just happens to be my favorite size as well. I also prefer glass pans for quick breads because they don’t seem to burn as easily.

Slice the remaining banana diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place the slices on top on both sides of the loaf in a shingle pattern.  You’ll need to leave a 1 1/2-inch-wide space down the center of the loaf to ensure an even rise.  Trust me, you want to do this.  You’ll see why in a minute.  Sprinkle the top evenly with sugar.

 

Bake the loaf for 55 to 75 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees F. oven with the rack in the middle position. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove it and continue to let it cool on the wire rack.

 

Look at how much the bread rose. See where the banana slices are?  Now you can understand why you need to leave that much space down the middle of the loaf.  I think that is so cool!

 

Serve warm or at room temperature.  I did both.  I sliced this bread after it had cooled a bit and it tasted pretty good.  However, as with most quick breads, this one tastes better the next day. 

The Test Kitchen recommends eating the bread fresh, and although the bananas on the sides are a bit sticky, I still think it tastes better the next day. Just let the loaf cool completely, wrap it in plastic wrap and it can be stored for up to 3 days.  If it lasts that long. 

 

 

Happy Baking!

Cathy

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

One of the breads we made for the HBinFive July 1st Bread Braid, was a Whole Wheat Banana Bread.  The HBinFive banana bread uses yeast rather than baking powder and baking soda.  I love banana quick breads, but I haven't quite gotten used to yeasted banana bread yet.  So, to give the yeasted bread a fair chance, I decided to do a comparison between the two types of bread.

I made the Yeasted Whole Wheat Banana Bread and one of my favorite quick bread banana breads. To make it fair comparison, I changed the recipe for the quick bread a little bit. Instead of using all-purpose flour, sugar and butter, I used the same combination we used for the HBinFive dough - a mixture of white whole wheat and all-purpose flours, and honey and oil.  I also substituted chocolate chips for the walnuts.

I liked this version. The honey gives it a unique flavor.  It's definitely different than banana quick breads made with all white flour, but I liked it. My main taste tester really liked the quick bread (and the yeast version).  So, I sent both breads home with him.  I have to watch my waistline you know and that's the best way I've figured out how to do it and still do what I love - mainly bake bread.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips

Adapted from this Moist Banana Bread Recipe
Yield: 1 loaf (about 12 slices)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup honey (instead of 1 cup of sugar)
• 3 medium ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 cup oil (instead of 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup sour cream (I used fat-free)
• 1 cup white whole wheat flour (I used  freshly milled white whole wheat flour)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder (this wasn't called for in the original recipe)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt (I used sea salt)
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts (if desired)  I added some chocolate chips instead
  
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. In a small bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt and set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until creamy.  I used oil and honey instead of butter and sugar so I just beat it with a whisk.

Add eggs, vanilla, sour cream and mashed bananas and mix well. Blend in the dry ingredients.

Add the nuts (or chocolate chips) if desired.

Pour into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour or until top is set.

Remove the loaf from the oven and cool on a wire rack.  I let it cool in the pan for a few minutes, then removed it from the pan to finish cooling for a bit. 

This banana bread actually tastes better the next day if you can wait that long.


Thanks for visiting The Bread Experience Bread-Baking Blog. I hope you enjoyed your visit and will join me again next time.


Happy Baking!
Cathy