Banana Bread

[Jude's Mama]

I need a good Banana Bread recipe. Mine always comes out too floury and never has a good strong banana flavour. Also, do you really need to use over ripe bananas? TIA

[tessamami]

Yeah, they have to be so ripe they're almost bad

Which is about the only time we make it, here.

[alsoSarah]

I would even advise you to try using bananas that are way beyond *almost* bad..... the "worse" your bananas are, the more banana flavor your bread will have in the end. Even a little white mold on the peels is just fine!
Here's my favorite recipe:

Banana Bread (makes 2 loaves)
Cream together in a large mixing bowl 1 cup butter or margarine (for some reason, margarine seems work best in this), softened, and 2 cups packed brown sugar. Add 4 eggs, beating well after each. Set aside.

Mash 7 large, *very* over-ripe bananas. Set aside. (If you don't have quite enough bananas, or they aren't really large, add some unsweetened applesauce.)

Whisk together in a bowl: 4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons baking soda. If you like walnuts, add a cup and a half of chopped wanuts to this dry mixture, and toss to coat.

Gently fold 1/3 of the dry mixture into the creamed eggy mixture, follow with 1/3 of the mashed bananas. Repeat until all ingredients are combined. DO NOT OVERMIX. (Small lumps are fine.)
Pour into 2 greased or sprayed loaf pans. Bake at 325 for an hour and a half, or until done. Allow to cool for 10 minutes, then stretch plastic wrap over the top of each loaf.
This batter works even better for muffins, too! Just use the paper muffin-liners so that they stay nice and tender on the bottom. Cover while still hot, just like w/the bread. This gives the top of each loaf/ muffin that yummy, super-moist banana bread action!

Freezes well.

[BrooklynDoula]

I sometimes use babanas that aren't that ripe - the issue is just that they are harder to mash and can make your bread have little lumps of banana in it. But, as the others have said - I often make banana bread because we have horrible looking bananas in need of use!

My families recipe, with my alterations is as follows (I just mix it all together in any order and for however long). This makes one loaf:

2-3 bananas (depending on size
a little less that 1 cup of sugar
2 c of flour (I use whole wheat but white is good or a mix)
1/2 c of soymilk
2 eggs
a pinch of baking soda (maybe 1-1 1/2 teaspoons)

Thats it (I think?? Sounds right off the top of my head)

Megan

[BrooklynDoula]

oh yeah - Greased pan, 325 for an hour or so, and I use a butter knife to get it out shortly after I pull it form the oven and we cut it and eat it immediatly (altough it stores well, too).

Now your making me hungry for some!

Megan

[Jude's Mama]

Thanxs soooo much ! I'm gonna give these a try and I'll update!