Alan’s TTIM Stories #60

A warm piece of banana bread is a perfect comfort food especially for cold winter months. The diverse use includes breakfast, snack, or dessert. It’s simple or complex to prepare with the difficulty index depending on which recipe you choose – and there are plenty to choose from. There are differences in the recommended ingredients with bananas, flour, and eggs being the common thread. 

All recipes call for overripe bananas – some browning evident on the outside and inside. It takes a few days to endure the increasing gross look on your countertop. One recipe calls for “squishy.” I would be surprised to find that word in any other recipe for any dish.

A metal loaf pan is recommended for any kind of bread for quicker heating and even cooking.
Sizes vary: 8×4; 8 ½ x 4 ½ ; or 9×5. Results – one loaf (isn’t that obvious?).

Ingredients from four recipes with a final recommendation at the end:

All-purpose flour – cups                          1 ½       2            2            1 2/3    2 cups
Baking soda – teaspoon                          ½           1            1            1            1 tsp
Salt – teaspoon                                       (pinch)   ¼            1            0            ½ tsp
Gound cinnamon – teaspoon                0           ½            0            1            1 tsp
Butter melted – cup                                  1/3        ½           ½           ½           ½ cup
Cup: brown sugar                                     1/3        ¾           1            2/3        ½ cup
Eggs beaten (room temperature)        1            2            2            1            2
Mashed bananas                                      2-3        4            4            3            4
Vanilla extract – teaspoon                      1            1            1tbsp    1            1 tsp
Pecans or walnuts – cup                          0            ¾           0            0            ½ cup

Additions for flavor:

• 3 Tablespoons of dark rum
• ¼ cup of coconut milk for extra moisture and taste
• Butterscotch drizzle topper (melted butterscotch chips with a touch of water and salt or butterscotch ice cream topping)

NOTE: A simpler recipe includes a box of yellow or spice cake mix with bananas and eggs.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. Butter an 8×4-inch loaf pan
3. Mash the bananas and add the butter
4. Mix in the baking soda and salt
5. Add sugar, beaten egg, vanilla extract, coconut milk, and rum
6. Mix in the flour – don’t over mix
7. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes (check after 45 minutes)
8. Let cool – remove from the pan after 15 minutes
9. Slice bread and add butterscotch drizzle

Serving size: Really? No need to guess. It’s as individual as everyone’s appetite and self-control.

If you decide to try – let me know the results by posting a comment.

Enjoy!                                            

Sources:
Foodie
Simply Recipes
The Beach House Kitchen
Emma’s Baking Addiction
Tammilee Tips

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Follow announcements of Alan’s TTIM Stories at Facebook.com/alan.vandervoort or Instagram & Threads vandervoort_author, with all available posts at www.alanvandervoort.com. Novels by the author include: Sandhills – A Novel and Key Largo Summer, found at Booklocker.com and other online booksellers.