At 12, when I was old enough to graduate from making jello desserts, banana bread was the first oven prepared dessert I attempted. Since then I have tried dozens of recipes, some cakey, some drier and more bread-like but this one is my favourite. This is also the biggest crowd pleaser on three continents.
I give credit to Martha Stewart for the secret ingredient. The rest I have adapted along the road of discovery.
Ready
- ¼ pound (1 stick) butter, unsalted and at room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup organic Sucanat sugar, or brown sugar of choice
- 1 ½ cups organic unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup mashed banana, super ripe
- 1 teaspoon Tahitian vanilla extract
- ½ cup sour cream (SECRET INGREDIENT)
Set
- Electric mixer
- Sieve
- Spatula
- 9x5x3 bread loaf pan
- Parchment paper
- Cooling rack
- Preheat oven to 350°F
Go
- Sieve together the flour, salt and baking soda then set aside.
- Cream the butter in the mixer.
- Once the butter is fluffy, add the sugar and blend the mixture well.
- Then, add each egg, blending in between.
- Mix in one third of the dry ingredients and then one third of the banana.
- Repeat twice.
- Add the vanilla extract.
- Blend in the sour cream.
- Turn the batter into the loaf pan lined with parchment paper. Let batter stand for 15 minutes.
- Bake for 1 hour. To test if it is done, insert a knife and if it comes out clean, its ready.
- Turn the finished loaf on to a cooling rack.
- Serve when you can’t stand to wait any longer.
What you should know
Remember to never over work your batter. It makes a cakey, tougher finish.