Banana Bread

Last week I got my hands on a whole bunch of bananas.  Teeny, tiny bananas.  

Really, what else could I do but make banana bread?

Searched around for a recipe I liked - the Food Network version of the one from Flour (a Boston bakery) had a nice-looking picture and a great surprise: 2 tbsp of sour cream.  That ought to bring a tang to the party!  I'm in!

Fate conspired against me, my attention span, and my measurements.  Another wonderful thing about this recipe is that it was so forgiving.  I overdosed on the sugar; my nine baby bananas weren't enough (other recipes had asked for 2 cups and these made just about one); I used baking powder instead of baking soda.  All in all, I was a mess.

And still, this banana bread turned out gorgeous.

  

I cooked it up in the toaster oven to avoid dealing with the gas oven.  Worked like a charm.  The top browned too quickly but when I turned down the temperature all was fine.

Hearty snack food, sliceable breakfast, source of protein and magnesium and all things nice.  I can't wait to try it with our Togolese pineapple and baobab-fruit jam tomorrow morning.


Flour's Banana Bread (courtesy of Food Network)

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.