Michelle Smiles

Teaching my children to question authority, except mine.

Banana Bread

July19

I can’t tell you that this is the best banana bread I’ve ever had.  It is the best one I’ve ever made myself.  The best banana bread I’ve ever had was at the Dona Luisa Bakery on 4a calle oriente in Antigua.  I used to buy a loaf once or twice a week and eat it for breakfast and lunch and dinner sometimes.  I don’t wax poetic about much of the food I encountered living in Guatemala but that banana bread was amazing.  I wish I could replicate it.  But since I can’t, this stuff is pretty darn good.  (Source for photo is Antigua Daily Photo.)

I started with this recipe from All Recipes and added a few things.  I think it is a tasty, moist, and banana-y bread/cake.  (Let’s face it, just because we put it in a loaf pan doesn’t make it bread.)

Banana Bread

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour (you can omit this and use 2 cups of white flour if you prefer)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

1/2 cup butter (I’ve also used I Can’t Believe Its Not Butter sticks) room temp

2/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs, beaten

5 (ish) over ripe bananas, mashed (about 2 1/3 cup)

In a large bowl, combine first 7 (through walnuts) ingredients.  In another bowl, cream butter and sugar together.  Add eggs, vanilla, and mashed bananas until incorporated.  Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with rubber spatula or wooden spoon – stir only until incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Pour into loaf pan prepared with non-stick spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

TIPS:

*When poking with toothpick, poke a couple of spots in case you hit a banana chunk.

* I always end up with 1 overripe banana – never 5.  So when I get one that is too ripe, I put it in a ziploc and throw it in the freezer.  I keep adding to the bag until I have enough for banana bread.  They turn black and gross.  Allow to thaw, snip off the end and squeeze the banana out.

* You can mash bananas with a potato ricer or a fork.

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5 Comments to

“Banana Bread”

  1. On July 19th, 2010 at 8:47 pm Bobbi Says:

    I do the freezer trick too. Grosses Joe out. So, he throws them away…….MEN

  2. On July 19th, 2010 at 9:14 pm Andrea Says:

    Oh how I LOVE that bakery in Antigua. I think pretty much anything eaten there is magical. No Unicorns harmed at all 😉

  3. On July 19th, 2010 at 11:23 pm Rachel ~ Southern Fairytale Says:

    NOM NOM NOM

    banana bread.

    I have never made banana bread 😉 bananas never stick around long enough for banana bread.

    This sounds heavenly, the bread, the story, the history….

  4. On July 20th, 2010 at 9:34 am Valerie Says:

    Ah, Dona Luisa’s – how I miss her so. I fell in love with their banana bread back in 1993 on my first visit to Guatemala – it was legendary (hello, Barney Stinson coming out of my mouth). By that I mean it had been recommended by friends when they heard we were going to Antigua. Yum! While living there with G, I tried some of their other breads (the zucchini was just wierd – had a long slice of fresh zucchini on top although I normally love it). The banana bread is the best by far. THanks for the trip down memory lane!

  5. On July 21st, 2010 at 9:38 am TJ Says:

    I ate at Dona Luisa’s when I was in Antigua years ago. I do remember it as being pretty yummy!