If you are looking for the perfect banana bread recipe, you need to first start with the basics. If you have not already done so, invest in a simple cookbook that has all the basic recipes, as well as some general tips such as how to fold eggs properly. You want to start with a basic banana bread recipe. And then you are going to make it your own.
There is not a whole lot of difference between basic banana bread recipes. They will all pretty much call for flour, sugar (regular or brown), eggs, butter, salt, baking soda and, you guessed it, bananas. They may differ slightly in the amounts of each ingredient. I like moist baked goods, so I will choose a variation that has greater quantities of moist ingredients, for example, a recipe that calls for more eggs.
Use the best ingredients you can, such as real butter (not margarine) and unrefined, organic sugar. Experience will teach you the proper level of ripeness for the bananas. They should be overripe, with a peel that has turned well brown.
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.
But maybe you want to add walnuts too. Okay, no problem. You are just going to need to reduce the amount of chips a bit in proportion to the amount of nuts you want to add. A common mistake when baking is to alter the recipe so that the amount of batter to add-ins changes. Then the consistency of the product is going to change as well. Usually, not for the better.
But you might be thinking that, while walnuts are good in banana bread, so are pecans. I like the sound of that, too. So you just need to adjust the recipe again. If you were using one cup of walnuts, now try a half cup of walnuts and a half cup of pecans. Or really experiment and try a third cup each of almonds, pecans and walnuts.
You will probably find that after a bit of experimenting, you hit on a recipe that your friends and family will not let you change. The next thing you know, they are asking for Sallys banana bread recipe. And you have created your own family tradition. - 30241
There is not a whole lot of difference between basic banana bread recipes. They will all pretty much call for flour, sugar (regular or brown), eggs, butter, salt, baking soda and, you guessed it, bananas. They may differ slightly in the amounts of each ingredient. I like moist baked goods, so I will choose a variation that has greater quantities of moist ingredients, for example, a recipe that calls for more eggs.
Use the best ingredients you can, such as real butter (not margarine) and unrefined, organic sugar. Experience will teach you the proper level of ripeness for the bananas. They should be overripe, with a peel that has turned well brown.
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.
But maybe you want to add walnuts too. Okay, no problem. You are just going to need to reduce the amount of chips a bit in proportion to the amount of nuts you want to add. A common mistake when baking is to alter the recipe so that the amount of batter to add-ins changes. Then the consistency of the product is going to change as well. Usually, not for the better.
But you might be thinking that, while walnuts are good in banana bread, so are pecans. I like the sound of that, too. So you just need to adjust the recipe again. If you were using one cup of walnuts, now try a half cup of walnuts and a half cup of pecans. Or really experiment and try a third cup each of almonds, pecans and walnuts.
You will probably find that after a bit of experimenting, you hit on a recipe that your friends and family will not let you change. The next thing you know, they are asking for Sallys banana bread recipe. And you have created your own family tradition. - 30241
About the Author:
Ben Cook teaches you how to bake banana bread at home and gives you lots of delicious banana bread recipes on his low sugar banana bread recipe website.
