Nov
9
Banana Bread Recipe: Create Your Own
November 9, 2009 | Leave a Comment
The first thing you want to do when you are ready to start baking banana bread is to look for a basic recipe. It is a good idea to purchase an introductory cookbook, if you do not already have one. Find one that has simple, no frills recipes, as well as instructions on how to simple things properly, such as folding eggs. You are going to start with a basic recipe. But then you are going to add your own flair to it and make it your unique banana bread recipe.
All banana bread recipes are going to be pretty much the same at the core. They can vary in quantities of each ingredient, but they all basically contain flour, butter, baking soda, salt, sugar (sometimes brown), eggs and bananas. I tend to like my baked goods moist, so I will pick a variation that calls for more eggs, for example.
Beyond that, you want to make sure that you use the highest quality ingredients, such as organic unrefined sugar and real butter as opposed to margarine. Having bananas at just the right level of ripeness is one of the keys to a great banana bread. This is may be the only time that you want your bananas to have a completely brown peel.
It is a good idea to try the recipe out without any alterations first so that you are familiar with the basic flavor and the correct consistency. Then you get to have fun experimenting. Just think about what sounds good to you to add. When you have an idea, look for a recipe that includes that ingredient so you can have a guideline of how much to use.
For example, I like to add chocolate chips to whatever I can. So, I look for a quick bread recipe that calls for chocolate chips. First, make sure that the recipe is meant to make the same amount of bread as your banana bread recipe. Then you can use the same amount of chips for your bread. If the recipe you find makes half as much bread as yours, simply double the amount of chips.
Or, maybe you think it should have walnuts in addition to the chips. Not a problem. But you need to put in fewer chips to make room for the nuts. A mistake that people often make is to change the recipe so there is too great a quantity of add-ins for the amount of batter. This will change the consistency of the bread, usually to its detriment.
Now, you are getting used to the experimenting and you are thinking that walnuts are not enough; there should be pecans as well. Again, just change the amounts so that if you were using a full cup of walnuts before, use a half cup each of walnuts and pecans. Or, you can really go crazy and add almonds as well. All you have to do is change the amount to a third cup of each and you are good to go.
Usually what happens after a period of experimentation is that you find a banana bread recipe that you and your family love so much, you stop experimenting. Before you know it, that special blend is now known as Aunt Mollys Banana Bread. And that is how a family tradition is born.
Ben Cook tells you how to make banana bread in your home kitchen and gives you lots of delicious banana bread recipes on his low sugar banana bread recipe website.
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