Wednesday in the Kitchen ...
February 23, 2011
It's National Banana Bread Day!
Here's our favorite banana bread recipe - it's quick, easy, can be used with a variety of fruits and vegetables, and it conveniently makes two loaves. It's adapted from a recipe found in Frozen Assets.
- 3 cups flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup oil
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups mashed bananas*
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 cup chopped nuts or seeds (optional)
Sift together dry ingredients. In separate bowl, beat eggs; add oil and sugar; cream together. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Add dry ingredients; mix well. (Stir in nuts, if using.) Spoon into two well-greased loaf pans. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.
(Note: We have used less sugar than this recipe calls for with good results. Tinker, according to your taste. Also, this can be baked in 5 mini-loaf pans - they make very nice gifts.)
*Other mix-in ideas (use one of more of the following to equal 2 cups):
- apples, grated or chopped
- applesauce
- apricots, chopped
- berries
- carrots, cooked and mashed or grated
- cherries, pitted and chopped
- coconut, grated
- cranberries, dry or raw, chopped
- dates or figs, pitted and finely chopped
- lemon, 1/2 cup juice
- marmalade (omit 1 cup sugar)
- mincemeat
- oranges, chopped
- orange juice, 1/2 cup juice
- peaches, fresh or canned, chopped
- pineapple, crushed and well drained
- prunes, chopped
- pumpkin, canned
- raisins
- rhubarb, finely chopped (add 1/2 cup more sugar)
- strawberries, well drained
- sweet potato or yam, cooked and mashed or grated
- zucchini, grated and well-drained
Have a great Wednesday, everyone! See you again very soon!
:)