Baking Banana Bread

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. 

                                           This is the way I enjoy my banana bread, ala mode style. 😋

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! 😊

 

                   

Dilis Delish

My ultimate goal in creating this blog is to go on fun food trips, making the rounds of known or unheard of dining dives and to pull into the limelight that part of their menu often given the cold shoulder because of its unappetizing roster: veggie and fish. Though these food groups do have a steadily growing  market, we have to admit that meat still takes top billing when it comes to food favorites. I rarely do recipe blogging not because I can't cook because I sure as shoots can. I just find it more convenient to seek gastronomic refuge in a hip hashery that that waits on me and serves me my grub as I sit back, relax and surf. But I do have my moments. On dreadfully boring weekends when I'd rather stay in than go out, I could whip up serious eats with whatever I can find in my pantry, fridge or cupboard.

Most dishes in the Philippines are served with rice.  It's a staple in our diet and goes great with pork, beef, veggie and fish dishes. But here's one fish recipe that can be enjoyed even without rice. In fact, it makes for great company when doing a DVD marathon or just good as nibbles while reading a book. It's a breeze to make and a definite winner. All you need is a hefty amount of good, affordable dilis or anchovies. 

Dilis or anchovies are a small and very common salt-water fish. They come in really cheap especially when bought in the market and are really good fried to a crisp or cooked in vinegar and a little salt topped with chili slices. 

                                                photo c/o my3rdand7thsense.blogspot.com

                                                                     photo c/o MarketManila

I, however, cook and eat it as a snack. It's another diversity that these simple but versatile little denizens from the deep offer, and mind you, they do bring it.

First, heat some oil in a pan. Then throw in the anchovies, allowing them to crisp and brown to a perfect crunch. Then pour in some sweet banana ketchup with a generous sprinkling of brown sugar. Allow both the sugar and ketchup to coat and caramelize the anchovies and after a few more swirls in the pan, their done.

For a more spicy take, add a dash of chili powder or a trickle of chili sauce on it while cooking. You may also add a little salt and pepper to heighten its flavor.

So, what do I call it? Caramelized Anchovies it is and it never fails to deliver.

Our mothers used to always tell us to never play with our food. But this is one time when it becomes totally legit. It's easy to be really creative with the sensitive diet that you are limited to because within that diet, there are no limits. My good friend would always tell me to pick whatever I want with the food I can have and go to town in creating new recipes for it, incorporating the flavors that float my boat, and he's right. And never be fooled by what you see because what you think has limited potential can actually unfold into a radical reveal just waiting to be uncovered. So can be said about our friendly fish dilis. It may be small but it's definitely big in flavor.
 

So, what have I learned from this? It's that size can be deceiving because sometimes, even the smallest things are the ones that pack the ultimate punch. Enjoy! :)