Perfectly ripe bananas are the magic behind perfect smoothies, oatmeal and yogurt bowls, but what about when they start looking less like a bright yellow tropical fruit and more like the tree branch from which they grew? Well, creating a simple, customizable banana bread loaf is a great way to use those bananas you might have left sitting out a little too long.
Basic banana bread
Ingredients
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 so-ripe-they’re-black bananas, mashed
1 ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
1. Preheat the oven at 350 degrees standard or 325 convection and spray either a bundt pan, loaf pan or square 8-by-8-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In a stand mixer, a hand mixer or by hand (wooden spoon), mix the butter, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla until it becomes a pale mixture. Add mashed bananas.
3. While the mixer is mixing the butter and brown sugar, combine the dry ingredients: flour, salt and baking soda in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
4. After the wet ingredients are thoroughly mixed, add the flour and mix by hand. If you mix the flour in the wet ingredients with the mixer, it will yield a dense and tough banana bread.
5. Add the banana bread dough to the prepared pans and bake for 50-60 minutes. Insert a knife or toothpick to check that it is fully cooked.
Cinnamon roll swirl banana bread
Bread:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 so-ripe-they’re-black bananas
1 ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Cinnie Swirl:
½ stick (4 tablespoons) unsalted butter
½ cup brown sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1. Follow bread directions from basic version above, but do not bake. Add the batter to the prepared pan and make the center:
2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the brown sugar. When the brown sugar has started to dissolve, add the cinnamon. Turn off the heat and allow to cool slightly.
3. Once the center has cooled, add it in dollops to the batter in the pan and swirl with a knife of spatula.
4. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Insert a knife or toothpick to see if it is fully cooked.
Choco-crazy banana bread
Bread:
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
¾ cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 so ripe its black bananas
1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips
1 ¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
Ganache for glazing:
1, 4-ounce, block of bittersweet chocolate, chopped
¾ cup heavy cream
½ teaspoon salt
1. Follow bread directions from basic version above, but add the chocolate chips at the same time you add the bananas to the batter.
2. While the bread is baking, make the ganache: Put the chopped chocolate in a heat proof bowl. Heat the heavy cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just about boiling. Add the hot cream to the bowl with the chocolate. DO NOT STIR! If you stir right after adding the heavy cream it will break and yield a separated ganache. Allow the cream to melt the chocolate slightly, then mix. You should have a smooth and shiny ganache.
3. After the bread has finished baking, allow it to cool completely. When the bread has cooled, smear the ganache all over the top and let it fall over the sides.
Image Caption: Graphic by Lexi Petri.