Banana bread is the king of the dessert breads. It’s moist, delicious, and mildly sweet. Before we delve into the wild and crazy world of banana bread, let’s talk bananas.
Bananas are a highly profitable crop, they grow year round, and consequently they are a critical food stuff for the nations that grow them. The number one exporter of bananas in the world is Ecuador. This magical fruit is native to Southeast Asia and Africa. It’s said to have spread across into the Caribbean with Portuguese sailors in the 16th century. Prior to that, the spread of bananas in the old word emanated out from Africa and Southeast Asia.
Banana bread has only been around for less than a hundred years in the States. Bananas came to the USA in the late 1800’s as the Caribbean islands began to grow in prominence for their fruit production. But bananas themselves were not that popular initially in the U.S.A. due to the high cost. The rise of banana bread is said to have stemmed from the unwillingness of American housewives to throwaway the expensive fruit. When bananas ripen the starches in the banana break down into sugar as a result of the ethylene that they give off as they ripen. The housewives would use the ripened bananas to make a delicious spice bread that is now a American dessert staple.
My love for banana bread stems from my childhood, as it was one of the few things that I actually got to experience as first generation kid. My grandma would make it for us all the time and I always loved having a piece (or two) of banana bread with a glass of milk. Still to this day it’s one of my favorite treats. So in order to make this recipe, I went to the one place I rely on to make the best foods that I don’t know how to make off the top of my head. America’s Test Kitchen.
Enjoy!
Recipe – America’s Test Kitchen Ultimate Banana Bread
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
5 large very ripe bananas (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, you want the peel to be almost black.
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
Method
Step 1 – Pre-heat oven to 350F
Step 2- Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan
Step 3- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.
Step 4- Microwave 5 of the bananas, heat until they’ve released a liquid
Step 5- Put bananas in a mesh strainer and push out the liquid into another bowl. You want the bananas to have a smooth consistency.
Step 6 – Take the liquid and reduce it down to about a quarter cup.
Step 7 – Mix the reduced liquid with the mashed bananas, mix so they are smooth.
Step 8 – Now add your butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla to the bananas.
Step 9 – Transfer the banana mixture to the flour, stir until smooth.
Step 10 – Transfer mixture to your pan.
Step 11- Sprinkle sugar ontop of the loaf (evenly).
Step 12- Bake for 55 minutes, at this point check for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the middle. If it’s done, the toothpick will come out clean.
- 1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon table salt
- 5 large very ripe bananas (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled, you want the peel to be almost black.
- 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- Step 1 – Pre-heat oven to 350F
- Step 2- Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan
- Step 3- Mix flour, baking soda, and salt together.
- Step 4- Microwave 5 of the bananas, heat until they’ve released a liquid
- Step 5- Put bananas in a mesh strainer and push out the liquid into another bowl. You want the bananas to have a smooth consistency.
- Step 6 – Take the liquid and reduce it down to about a quarter cup.
- Step 7 – Mix the reduced liquid with the mashed bananas, mix so they are smooth.
- Step 8 – Now add your butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla to the bananas.
- Step 9 – Transfer the banana mixture to the flour, stir until smooth.
- Step 10 – Transfer mixture to your pan.
- Step 11- Sprinkle sugar ontop of the loaf (evenly).
- Step 12- Bake for 55 minutes, at this point check for doneness by sticking a toothpick in the middle. If it’s done, the toothpick will come out clean.
