Banana Bread

Over a week ago I bought a bunch of little Del Monte bananas from the supermarket. When I got home, I ate one and placed the rest of them neatly in my fruit drawer. After which, I promptly forgot about them.

Until four nights ago. By which time, they were 90% black. What to do, I wondered… That same night, I happened to look through a few of my recipe books to see what I should try out in the coming week or two, and lo and behold, a simple and splendid looking recipe for banana loaf fell beneath my gaze.

As they say: When life hands you a black banana, make banana bread. (Yeah ok… lemons, bananas… details…)

So the next day, when I did my grocery shopping at Giant in Vivo, I picked up a pack of ground hazelnuts – the only ingredient I was missing at the time – and I was all set. Monday night after dinner, I went about making my banana bread. The bananas were very very ripe by then, so they were good and soft. And sweet.

The result? Perfect buttery homey banana bread. I liked it immediately, so did my husband, as well as a few of my nice colleagues who were game enough to try some of it yesterday.

Here’s the great little cook book I used, and also where I got the lovely Financier recipe I used last Christmas. This book is so good I’m reproducing the recipe almost verbatim (most of the time I have to re-write big chunks of the recipes I use because they aren’t explained very clearly.)

And the recipe:

BANANA LOAF

INGREDIENTS (makes one loaf that serves 8-10 people):

DIRECTIONS (makes one loaf that serves 8-10 people):

1. Line a 18 x 7 x 8 cm deep (7-1/4 x 2-3/4 x 3 in) loaf tin with parchment paper. (You don’t have to line all four sides – that’s quite a hassle. Lining the bottom and the two lengths will do. )
2. Pre-heat oven to 170 deg C.
3. Puree one regular banana (or 2-3 mini bananas) i.e. smoosh them in a bowl using a fork.
4. In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together till fluffy-looking.
5. Add the ground hazelnuts, then the eggs.
6. Sift the flour, salt, bicarbonate of soda and baking powder into the mixture and mix well.
7. Mix in the sour cream, then the banana puree.

(Your mix should look something like this:)

8. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin.
9. Slice the remaining banana and cover the top of the bread.
10. Bake on middle shelf for 50-60 minutes.

(This is my loaf mix sitting in the oven:)

11. To test if the loaf is cooked, push a knife through to the centre and see if it comes out clean.
12. Leave to cool in the tin for 20 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and remove the parchment paper. Voila!

(Notice how the banana on the top has sunk into the bread? I thought that was neat =)