Hi there! It's been awhile. Seven long years, in fact. But I'm back, and this time, not only with a blog but vlogs as well. If you made it here, then you probably came from my channel Happy Random. Thank you for stopping by there, and welcome to my blog...
A Fresh New Plate, a new beginning take two.
Baking has always been my passion. I do cook, but baking just gives me a different kind of high. The kitchen is one I consider my happy place, my solace, my respite, and baking, my personal me-time. I love when my kitchen exudes the aroma of freshly baked pastries that not only fill the senses but the soul as well. And to kick off my new adventures in blogging and now vlogging, I decided to start with a scrumptious dessert that puts my favorite fruit under the spotlight.
I love bananas. I'm such a monkey, I could eat a whole cluster all by myself. Yeah, but let's not do that. 😄 Bananas are just so versatile, you can use them in cooking as well as in baking. In however way you use them, they always deliver with dishes and confections that are definite palate-pleasers, like this one. I've been making this for years and it never fails to bring sunshine even on the rainiest of days. Here is the recipe I follow for making my rustic banana bread.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup melted butter
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 or 3 medium bananas, mashed
- cinnamon (optional, but a must for me 😄)
Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 175 degrees C (350 degrees F). If you're using an aluminum, glass or ceramic loaf pan, grease and flour. I usually use a silicone loaf pan to avoid the hassle of greasing.
2. In a bowl, combine and stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well. In the same bowl as the melted butter and eggs, plop in the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir until smooth. Then fold in the sour cream and bananas. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
3. Bake at 175 degrees C (350 degrees F) for 50 to 60 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean.
4. Cool bread in loaf for 15 to 20 minutes, then transfer to wire rack and have cool completely.
5. Slice and savor.
Notes:
-With this recipe, you don't really need to sift the dry ingredients. The banana bread comes out just as great.
-I use overripe bananas when making banana bread. Those whose skins already have black spots with the fruit inside already soft and a slightly darker shade of brown. In my experience, overripe bananas make for moist turnouts and add a natural sweetness to the bread.
-In making banana bread, you may either slice or mash your bananas. I semi-mash them, leaving small chunks of that sweet yellow gem within the smooth folds of the batter, so that when it bakes, I can expect little chewy banana bits when I bite into the bread.
-Cinnamon is not a must in making banana bread, in fact, most recipes don't call for it. It is just my preference. I do have to say, though, it adds to the aroma and it does add something special to the taste. It goes without saying, cinnamon is my favorite spice in the whole culinary universe.
-Other cool additions you might want to put in your banana bread are nuts, raisins and choco chips.
-I like pulling the banana bread out of the oven when the skewer I test the bread with comes out clean but with crumbs still clinging to it. As the pan is still hot straight from the oven, the banana bread will continue to cook.
-Do remember that silicone pans, as they are pliable, their walls will bend at the weight of the banana bread batter, making for wider turnouts and wider cracks on top of the bread. Non-pliable pans like aluminum, glass or ceramic will hold the batter in place, thereby keeping the turnouts in the size of the pan and minimizing the size of the cracks on top of the bread. Cracks or not, though, the taste is just bomb.
-Different ovens have different baking times. Though the recipe calls for a bake time of 60 minutes, I start checking and testing my bread 10 minutes before the 60-minute mark.
Thank you very much for stopping by A Fresh New Plate.
Till our next food trip! 😊
