I wasn't social Friday night, and I wasn't social Saturday night. I loved it.
I was able to focus on cleaning, going through papers and boxes I still haven't unpacked, and baking.
For the past two years I've been attempting to recreate the moistest banana bread I've ever eaten. It truly has been a goal of mine. After a guy named James brought this masterpiece to a 2007 Super Bowl party {I hid the extra loaf in my pantry and ate the entire thing myself; it was that good}, I hounded him for the recipe, and it took me a few months to get it.
But the recipe never turned out the way he'd made it, and I was convinced he'd intentionally left something out. I tried a few variations on my own, but finally threw up my hands and knew I needed to try a different recipe.
I googled "MOIST banana bread", and made a list of new recipes to try.
This weekend I tried not the "extra moist" recipe or "super moist", but simply "Moist Banana Bread", a list of ingredients in which buttermilk is clearly the MVP.
I got out the Kitchen Aid, which makes baking a million times more enjoyable, and mixed the ingredients just as the recipe said. This should be obvious, but following directions to a T is hard work for me.
But all my hard work paid off. The bread came out delicious and moist, easily a 2nd place winner to the Super Bowl loaf. Even my colleagues raved about it at work today.
This doesn't mean I won't try other recipes, ones with sour cream and unbleached flour in the hopes that I might find something even more moist, but it does mean that I feel confident enough to share this recipe with you. You'll love it.
MOIST BANANA BREAD
3/4 c. butter
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. bananas (3)
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. buttermilk
Cream butter and sugar. Blend in mashed bananas. Add well-beaten eggs and vanilla. Sift dry ingredients together and add alternating with buttermilk. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes (but I began checking at 50 minutes). Makes 2 loaves (8 x4).
p.s. I also made Whoorl's recommended heavenly pumpkin brownies with cream cheese frosting. They were a big hit, as well.
2 comments:
L- I make a very similar recipe (it's the old, classic recipe from my mom's Joy of Cooking book from the 70s!) but without the buttermilk. My secret is that I ALWAYS add an extra banana... or two! I am terrible about following recipes and I discovered this trick about 5 years ago. It is my husband's favorite thing I bake and he will eat the entire loaf! I also shake a little sugar on top before baking, and the top gets browned and crispy in the oven :) xoxo, GFF
You should check out Mark Bittman's recipe for banana bread...it incorporates coconut. My bf also puts toasted coconut on top and it is to die for. And I hate bananas!
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