The last banana bread I made

[pscot]

tasted fine, but had the specific gravity of uranium. I wasn't expecting puffed pastry, but is there some way to lighten it up a little? I used 3 bananas, 1.5 cups flour, 1/2 cup sugar,1 egg, some melted butter and salt and baking powder. The recipe didn't call for any additional liquid. I seldom bake, so this is a little outside my range, but there are three very brown bananas in the fruit bowl right now, and I'm damned if I'm going to throw them out. Your insights would be most welcome.

[mopinko]

1. the most common reason for failures of quick breads is overbeating.

mix the wet ingredients together, and the dry together. then mix both together with a minimum of strokes, barely taking up the flour, leaving it a little lumpy. good luck. love banana bread, and hate to see nice black bananas go to waste.

[pscot]

5. I knew that, don't ask me how

so I very carefully folded the flour in. The stuff still had the consistency of carp bait. Maybe that's just the way it is. I do think I'll add an extra egg to this next batch; maybe whip the eggs up a little.

[Inchworm]

2. A loved one gave me this

It makes more of a breadlike cakey thing.

Banana Bread/Cake stuff
2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup oil
4 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350F.
Mix flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.

In a large bowl, beat sugar and oil together, then add the bananas and mash them.

Stir in the water and vanilla, and mix thoroughly.

Add the flour mixture along with nuts and stir to mix.

Spread in a non-stick or lightly oil-sprayed 9-inch square baking pan, and bake for 45 to 50 mins, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

I made it lots.. then I realized that I don't really like bread. I was making bread to save the bannanas and ended up wasting the rest of the ingredients too lol

I never signed a gag order. hope I don't get jumped on :P

:hi:

[Tangerine LaBamba]

3. But .........

how was it?

[Inchworm]

4. Verry good

fluffy but not like cake.

I think in time I added a bit extra baking soda because I wanted it even fluffier than it was.

:)

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. Fluffy?

Like angel food cake?

I don't even like bananas, but your latest trick sounds wonderful..............

[Inchworm]

7. *blush*

Angel food cake is the stuff that goes with strawberries and whipped cream? :P

By fluffy I guess I meant less dense with more bigger holes in it. Kind of like angel food cake but with bigger holes.

Gawd.. my grasp of description is failing.

I shall allow my 'nanners to go south and make it again soon to see :)

:blush:

[grasswire]

8. I like a moist banana bread with some whole wheat and OJ

Banana cake would be something other.

Here's the bread recipe I use:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs slightly beaten
3 medium bananas mashed -- about 1 cup
1 cup AP flour -- sift before measuring
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup OJ frozen concentrate (defrosted, not diluted with water)
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Melt butter and blend in sugar. Mix in beaten eggs and mashed bananas, blending until smooth. Sift all-purpose flour again with salt and soda. Stir in whole wheat flour. Add dry ingredients alternately with hot water. Stir in chopped nuts. Turn into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan. Bake at 325 for 1 hour and ten minutes. Makes one loaf.

[pscot]

9. The OJ sounds like a great idea

Sifting the flour might help reduce the density. The hot water sort of appearsmagically at the end. How much do you use?

[grasswire]

10. oh sorry

I don't use any hot water. I use the OJ instead of it. Good catch.

[Arkansas Granny]

11. I have found that if I add a tablespoon or two of honey and a blob

of sour cream to my banana bread batter it makes for a really moist loaf. I sometimes use half white sugar and half brown sugar. That seems to increase the moisture also.

Another thought, if you seldom bake you might need to get some fresh baking powder. It can loose it's "oomph" if it gets old.

[pscot]

13. Now there's a thought

Although I'm pretty sure the stuff I used is at least post-millenial.

[Arkansas Granny]

15. I got curious about the shelf life of baking powder. Some good info here.

http://www.ochef.com/790.htm

[ginnyinWI]

12. also, see this thread

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=236x63739

It's technically a cake recipe, but it's a reasonable substitute for banana bread. Has about the same amount of sweetness and has a density somewhere between a nut bread and a cake mix cake.

[Tesha]

14. 2nd recommendation

this "Cake" is the best banana bread I've ever eaten...