Saturday, December 8, 2007

Fannie Farmer's Banana Nut Bread -- Illustrated Recipe


Ingredients

  • 3 ripe bananas
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar (regular, or turbinado works fine, too)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 cup nut meats, coarsely chopped (I prefer walnuts)
Directions
  1. Mix in a bowl 3 ripe bananas, well mashed, and 2 eggs, beaten until light.
  2. Sift together 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda.
  3. Add to the first mixture.
  4. Add 1/2 cup nut meats, chopped.
  5. Stir well.
  6. Put in a buttered loaf pan 9 by 5 inches.
  7. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (176 Celsius).

The bread is delicious served warm, with a butter dish nearby. It makes a nice breakfast quick bread or snack. It keeps well for 2-3 days, and is very nice toasted.

Tip #1: I have substituted homemade applesauce for a portion of the banana puree when I was short on bananas with excellent results.

Tip #2: If you like especially nutty breads, use one cup instead of 1/2 cup nut meats. I also usually double the nuts (actually, I think I use even more than a cup) because I love walnuts.

Tip #3: I often have substituted 1 cup or even all of the all-purpose flour with whole wheat flour with delicious results. I tried it with half buckwheat flour this last time, and that worked out nice, too. I tend to add a bit less sugar (about 1/2 a cup, usually), and substitute turbinado for regular white sugar with fine results.

Tip #4: Some like to add 2 tablespoons melted butter to the batter. I make it without, according to Fannie Farmer's original recipe. It is delicious without the added fat.

4 comments:

Unknown said...

Good bread! Can also be made in a wheat-free, gluten-free style that is delicious!

Ms Heather said...

Thanks so much for your comment, Sharon! What flours do you recommend for a gluten-free version?

Anonymous said...

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Owl said...

Everything you say is Right! I have two copies of Fannie Farmer: one I was given when I outgrew the Fannie Farmer Junior Cookbook (1940) and the other was given to my 2nd. husband's first wife by His mother - afraid he wouldn't get fed well. Now, he uses it. But he divides the batter into 3 small foil pans so we can give it to friends when we go for dinner.