What do you do when you have a bazillion ripe bananas? A sweet banana bread? Banaer ice cream? Mash them up in your oatmeal? These are what I usually do, well these things and just stock my freezer full of bananas because I am pretty sure that there should always be bananas in the freezer. .
I went grocery shopping and bought like a billion bananas because they were dirt cheap (19 cents a pound) and why not. There is plenty of room in the freezer.
And it was a bread making day. I wanted to make bread that involved a good knead, that the mr could have as a sandwich loaf, and that had bananas in it. (I love adding fruit and veggie purees to breads) I needed a multi functional loaf that can be used for toast and sandwiches. So I made it.
This bread doesn't have a crazy powerful banana flavor, just a light bananerness that adds a touch of sweetness and yum to the bread. Perfect for slices and slathering with peanut butter.
Pretty sure I scored on this one. It was well loved by many and eaten within days. Lucky for the mr I have a billion bananas.
The stuff. Some all purpose flour and some whole wheat (with germ) flour. A couple really ripe bananas, a little earth balance, salt, yeast, and water.
Peel and blended bananas into a smooth banana puree.
Add enough water to the bananas to make 2 cups of liquid. Add in the yeast and earth balance and blend that in too.
Wet gets dumped and mixed into the (mixed) flours and salt.
Wet shaggy dough gets dumped onto the floured counter and kneaded for about 10 minutes into a nice uniform and smooth ball
In a bowl doing the rise
Once risen twice it's size, dump dough onto counter, shape into a log and place into a well greased loaf pan. Cover with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again. Second rise will take a little less time then the first, just wait for the dough to dome over the sides of the pan.
Once it looks good, stick the thing into a preheated oven, close the door, and watch it bake (for about 50 minutes)
Golden brown, hollow sounding, and the instant read thermometer reads 190....Bread is all baked.Now hard part. Let that loaf sit and cool completely. (trust, it needs to cool or you will just mush it)
Now that its cooled, you slice and eat. A loaf of bread with a slight hint of banana ready for you face.
The mr has been eating it toasted with peanut butter like I predicted or dipping it into his split pea soup. (he really liked it with the soup) Just suggestions.
Bye.
-C
Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread
makes one loaf
- 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat with bran flour (plus a little more for kneading)
- 2 rip bananas
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons yeast (or 1 packet)
- 2 teaspoons earth balance (or butter)
- 1- 1/12 cups warm water
Peel bananas and blend them into a smooth puree. Add enough warm water to the banana mixture to equal 2 cups of liquid. Add the yeast and earth balance to the puree and mix until fully incorporated. Let sit for a few minutes to active yeast.
Whisk together the flours (start with the lesser amount) and salt in a large bowl. Dump the wet mixture into the bowl and mix together with a dough whisk or wooden spoon until you can no longer mix. If the dough is really wet, add in the other 1/4 of flour. Dump dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead dough for about 10 minutes.
Place in a clean greased bowl and cover with plastic or wax paper and a towel and place in a warm place to rise. Depending on how warm your place is, it will take about 1 to 1 1/2 hours to double in size. Once risen, dump onto counter, shape into a log and place into a greased loaf pan. Cover again with plastic or wax paper and set to rise again for about 1/2- 45 minutes or until the dough forms a dome over the pan.
Preheat oven to 350.
When dough is done second rise, stick it into the preheated oven and bake. It should be in there for about 50 minutes, but check at 45 for a deep golden color and a internal temperature of 190. Once done, remove from oven, gently remove from pand and set on a wire rack to cool completely.
Once cooled you can go for it.
Stay fresh for about 3 days in a air tight container, but I would slice and freeze any if not gone by then.
