Waste not those bananas
Well, yes I am the type of person who will invest $6 worth of additional ingredients just so I don't waste 55 cents worth of bananas.
And I'm OK with that about me.
Yesterday I had a bunch of bananas that had past the point that anyone in my household except the dog will eat them. Even though I was sweating profusely from the combination of summer heat and menopause, it seemed like an excellent idea to fire up the oven and turn the forgotten fruit into banana bread.
Also, I have blogged about this recipe on every blog I have ever written/contributed to since the mid-2000s, so I might as well get this out of the way now.
My introduction to this recipe was, I believe, in my first year of Saturday morning culinary school, Le Cordon Food Network, and there must've been some iffy bananas on the counter because I recall making it the same day.
Since I am incapable of following a recipe exactly as it's written, I did substitute macadamia nuts for pecans it called for. As I recall, it's because I had macadamia nuts in my pantry. I stand by the switch and it's reflected below. People should be free to use any nut they like. It's a basic liberty. #NutOfChoice
Typically I introduce this as the banana bread that will make people who don't like banana bread change their minds. I base that on a comment from an incredibly earnest co-worker who proclaimed her love of this loaf after sampling it at an office potluck.
It's more cake-like than bread-like, which I like. That makes it particularly utilitarian - toast it for breakfast, save it for dessert, make it an afternoon snack. I'd like to say it's somewhat healthy because bananas but that would be the kind of lie that would lead to a life in politics. It's decadent.
This recipe is the perfect recipe for almost-ready-for-the-trash bananas that makes everyone happy except the dog.
The dog simply does not need to eat that many bananas at any one time.
The ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 overripe bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
The directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl; leave them a little chunky. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together until the light-and-fluffy banana cream level has been unlocked.
Add the melted -- but completely cooled! -- butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. (Hot butter will cook eggs and nobody wants banana cream scrambled eggs.)
Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to go crazy. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a few good whacks on the counter to release air bubbles.
Bake for 1 hour or until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The banana bread might crack, but that's just OK; that's just the utter awesomeness of this pastry bursting out in pride.
Rotate the pan at least once to ensure even browning.
Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. I put the cooling rack pretty far back on the counter because of the dog.
