Banana Pecan Bread
Ah, Banana Bread... It's one of those recipes that everyone seems to have, and yet they're all just a little different. One thing they seem to have in common is, thankfully, bananas. (If your banana bread recipe has no bananas, throw it out. But first show it to me, because I don't believe you.) This recipe has bananas and is lovely. Try it!
Banana bread has always been a great breaker of rules for me. As a child, I was never a big fan of bananas, straight out of the peel. In fact, there was a time when I used to require that I be sitting atop the fridge (pretending to be a monkey, of course) in order to eat them. Banana bread, however, was another story. I have always liked banana bread. And where most kids go through at least a phase where the crust of normal bread is under no circumstances to be eaten, I saw immediately that the crust of banana bread was indeed the best part, and now when I try a banana bread recipe, the deciding factor is how good the crust is. It turns out, this one is fantastic.
I have since come to peace with bananas, mostly. I still rarely eat them straight from the peel, but I like them in fruit salads, smoothies, and, of course, bread. When they're hanging there on the hook above my fruit basket, though, they taunt me. They sneakily get more and more pungent until someone (my husband or the dog) eats them, or until I can't take the smell anymore, and in a mad craze, I peel them and mash them up in a fury, which works out perfectly for banana bread, making me look considerably less crazy (whew!).
Another good thing about banana bread is that it's a quick bread, so no yeast or kneading or waiting for it to rise. You just mix it up as fast as you can and throw it in the oven! Unfortunately, that means we're a bit light on pictures today. But for making and eating, it's not unfortunate at all.
Easy ingredients here. I'm realizing I ought to get my canisters labeled so that these blog pictures are a little bit easier to identify ingredients without having to read through all my chatter.
You'll also note that the bananas look pretty bad in this picture. You probably already know this, but it bears repeating that the further along the banana is, the better it is for banana bread. They get sweeter and softer (and, as I mentioned earlier, more pungent) as they get older. So brown ugly is the way to go!
One more thing: I have pecans in this because I like the extra crunch. If you don't like pecans, you can certainly omit them or substitute another nut of your choice. And you may recall that I often chop my pecans in my food processor, but for this, I prefer to do it the old fashioned way (i.e. with a big ol' knife) so that they're a little coarser. This is just personal preference though. If you have your heart set on doing things differently, I won't be able to stop you (but if you just don't know, try it this way; I really recommend it. It's lovely).
Like most baked goods involving butter and sugar, start by creaming them together. I didn't take a picture of this step because I figured you knew what it looked like by now. Once the butter and sugar are all fluffy, throw in the abused, yellow ingredients (that would be beaten eggs and mashed bananas, for our color-blind friends), and keep mixing. I took a picture of this, but decided not to post it because mushy bananas and raw eggs don't make very pretty photography. You're welcome.
Once you've got something that's pretty well incorporated again, add the pecans, vanilla, salt, and cinnamon. It's starting to look better again, so I got another picture for you. Continue mixing, but be aware that the pecans may take a beating. It's not really a big deal, but if you are concerned about them getting too crushed or something, you can add them in at the end, too.
In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and then add the mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix it back up, starting at a slow speed, and stopping when everything is just combined. Overmixing will make the banana bread tough, and what is that supposed to be? It sounds like something a day care teacher would say to a kid who wants to play on the playground instead of doing the craft. "But I want to play on the monkey bars!" "Well, tough bananas, Johnny, we are making macaroni picture frames right now. Outside time is over."
So don't overmix your banana bread. It will be a pretty stiff batter, so don't worry about the texture. Pour (or, more accurately, scoop) it into a well-buttered loaf pan and bake at 350 for an hour. I recommend getting out of the kitchen for that hour, because the smell will be so good, it may drive you crazy and that hour will feel like forever.
But once it's done, oh, was it worth it! The top is crispy and sweet, while the inside is moist and fruity with pleasant little crunchy spots from the pecans. And banana bread is one of those rare and delightful foods that is better the next day. Excellent on its own, it can also be jazzed up with a little smear of cream cheese, or for something a little more mellow, just some butter, or toast it for a warm, cozy breakfast treat. It also freezes pretty well if you make more than you need. You could even use it for French Toast, but that's another blog. The possibilities are nearly endless! I would not, however, recommend a pastrami on banana bread with cottage cheese sandwich. According to the late, great Mitch Hedberg, New York delis won't even make this for you. And probably with good reason.
But that's okay. You can enjoy your banana bread just as it is, warm, delicious, and fruity, with just the right amount of crunch!
Banana Pecan Bread
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and bananas and mix well. Stir in pecans, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, sift together baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Add to wet mixture and stir until combined. Batter will be stiff. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour.
Banana bread has always been a great breaker of rules for me. As a child, I was never a big fan of bananas, straight out of the peel. In fact, there was a time when I used to require that I be sitting atop the fridge (pretending to be a monkey, of course) in order to eat them. Banana bread, however, was another story. I have always liked banana bread. And where most kids go through at least a phase where the crust of normal bread is under no circumstances to be eaten, I saw immediately that the crust of banana bread was indeed the best part, and now when I try a banana bread recipe, the deciding factor is how good the crust is. It turns out, this one is fantastic.
I have since come to peace with bananas, mostly. I still rarely eat them straight from the peel, but I like them in fruit salads, smoothies, and, of course, bread. When they're hanging there on the hook above my fruit basket, though, they taunt me. They sneakily get more and more pungent until someone (my husband or the dog) eats them, or until I can't take the smell anymore, and in a mad craze, I peel them and mash them up in a fury, which works out perfectly for banana bread, making me look considerably less crazy (whew!).
Another good thing about banana bread is that it's a quick bread, so no yeast or kneading or waiting for it to rise. You just mix it up as fast as you can and throw it in the oven! Unfortunately, that means we're a bit light on pictures today. But for making and eating, it's not unfortunate at all.
You'll also note that the bananas look pretty bad in this picture. You probably already know this, but it bears repeating that the further along the banana is, the better it is for banana bread. They get sweeter and softer (and, as I mentioned earlier, more pungent) as they get older. So brown ugly is the way to go!
One more thing: I have pecans in this because I like the extra crunch. If you don't like pecans, you can certainly omit them or substitute another nut of your choice. And you may recall that I often chop my pecans in my food processor, but for this, I prefer to do it the old fashioned way (i.e. with a big ol' knife) so that they're a little coarser. This is just personal preference though. If you have your heart set on doing things differently, I won't be able to stop you (but if you just don't know, try it this way; I really recommend it. It's lovely).
Like most baked goods involving butter and sugar, start by creaming them together. I didn't take a picture of this step because I figured you knew what it looked like by now. Once the butter and sugar are all fluffy, throw in the abused, yellow ingredients (that would be beaten eggs and mashed bananas, for our color-blind friends), and keep mixing. I took a picture of this, but decided not to post it because mushy bananas and raw eggs don't make very pretty photography. You're welcome.
In a separate bowl, sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder and baking soda, and then add the mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix it back up, starting at a slow speed, and stopping when everything is just combined. Overmixing will make the banana bread tough, and what is that supposed to be? It sounds like something a day care teacher would say to a kid who wants to play on the playground instead of doing the craft. "But I want to play on the monkey bars!" "Well, tough bananas, Johnny, we are making macaroni picture frames right now. Outside time is over."
But once it's done, oh, was it worth it! The top is crispy and sweet, while the inside is moist and fruity with pleasant little crunchy spots from the pecans. And banana bread is one of those rare and delightful foods that is better the next day. Excellent on its own, it can also be jazzed up with a little smear of cream cheese, or for something a little more mellow, just some butter, or toast it for a warm, cozy breakfast treat. It also freezes pretty well if you make more than you need. You could even use it for French Toast, but that's another blog. The possibilities are nearly endless! I would not, however, recommend a pastrami on banana bread with cottage cheese sandwich. According to the late, great Mitch Hedberg, New York delis won't even make this for you. And probably with good reason.
But that's okay. You can enjoy your banana bread just as it is, warm, delicious, and fruity, with just the right amount of crunch!
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2-3 ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and bananas and mix well. Stir in pecans, vanilla, salt and cinnamon.
In a separate bowl, sift together baking powder, baking soda, and flour. Add to wet mixture and stir until combined. Batter will be stiff. Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake 1 hour.
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