Best Banana Bread

Hi. Today I want to talk about banana bread. Specifically this banana bread: Julia's best banana bread.  

I had been searching for a perfect banana bread recipe for a while and I finally found it! I have tried so many different recipes and it's safe to say that this is the one I will be baking for my future grandchildren. I sometimes picture my future self as a grandma, is that weird? I want to be that grandma. The one that bakes, knits and does grandma things with you. I never had that, my moms mom passed away a little after I was born. My dads mom passed away a little over a year ago but she wasn't very close to us.

This bread is perfectly moist, beautifully speckled with banana and full of rich banana flavor. The only thing I changed In this recipe is the amount of sugar, I used half a cup less because bananas are very sweet already and I sprinkled some sugar on top so it would get a nice caramelized crust on top.

I found this recipe via Bon Appetit's website, apparently it was featured in one of their issues last year. This recipe is from Julia's banana bread tree house in Hawaii. Now, if I ever go to Hawaii, I'll make sure to stop by and try the real deal.

Julia's Best Banana Bread

slightly adapted from here.

makes one loaf.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

1 cup of sugar + 2 teaspoons 

1 cup of very ripe mashed bananas 

3/4 cup of veggie oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare your loaf pan either by buttering or using parchment paper.

Whisk flour, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, 1 cup of sugar, mashed bananas and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and stir until combined. Pour into loaf pan and sprinkle the two teaspoons of sugar on top.

Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for 15 minutes and enjoy! And trust me you will enjoy!

P.S. some people just can't have banana bread without nuts, if that's you, stir in 1/2 a cup of walnuts or pecans into batter before pouring in mold.

P.P.S. If you're wondering why that little gap/dent at the top of my banana bread slice. Maximiliano just couldn't wait until after the picture.

XOXO

Lidia

Banana Bread, one bowl required.

I love banana smoothies/ milkshakes in the am. They are a quick energy boost
to get me through the morning chores meanwhile I make myself some quick breakfast.
It seems bananas never last that long around here, that being said I bought a bunch
the other day so we would have plenty... turns out now that we have more then plenty
no one wants to eat them! So I made some banana bread, one of my favorite treats.
I was eager to try this recipe from smitten kitchen that I had bookmarked a while back.

This baby loaf disappeared in a matter of seconds.
It was some of the best banana bread I've had and seriously so ridiculously easy!
Best part is; there were only a few dishes in my sink left to wash unlike the pile
that is usually left over when I bake something!
Least thing I want to be doing now a days is washing dishes, my lower back
is having a hard time carrying all this weight I've put on.

Banana Bread
slightly adapted from smitten kitchen


Ingredients

- 3 ripe bananas, smashed
- 1/3 c. melted salted butter
- 3/4 c. brown sugar
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 t. vanilla
- 1 t. cinnamon
- 1/2 t. nutmeg

- 1 t. baking soda
- pinch of salt

- 1 1/2 c. flour
- 1/4-1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix butter into mashed bananas with wooden spoon.
2. Mix in the sugar, egg, vanilla & spices.
3. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over everything, stir in.
4. Add flour and again, stir in.
5. If using chocolate chips you can stir in at the end or
sprinkle on top of bread.

Pour into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes.
Cool and slice to serve.

Walnuts or pecans would be awesome in this instead of choco chips.
Do you have spotted bananas? Make this now!

Enjoy with a glass of milk, cup of coffee or tea.

xoxo

P.S. If you have any special banana bread recipes to share,

I would love to try them out.