 |
Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 75 Minutes |
Ready In: 105 Minutes Servings: 1 |
|
Ingredients:
1 teaspoon(s) baking soda |
2 teaspoon(s) granulated sugar |
2 large eggs |
6 large, very ripe bananas |
3/4 cup(s) packed, light brown sugar |
1/2 teaspoon(s) table salt |
1/2 cup(s) toasted, coarsely chopped walnuts (optional) |
1 3/4 cup(s) unbleached, all-purpose flour |
1 stick(s) unsalted butter (8 tbsp) |
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract |
Directions:
1. It is important to follow this recipe precisely, or the outcome will be...unpleasant.
2. Using an oven gauge, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
3. Spray (with cooking spray) or grease (with Crisco or Crisco-like product) an 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch loaf pan. You may also use a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan, however the cooking time will change (this will be noted below).
4. Take 5 of the 6 VERY RIPE (either black or heavily speckled) bananas, remove their skins, and place them in a glass Pyrex mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with either parchment paper or plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in the top with a paring knife. Microwave on high power for approximately 5 minutes until the bananas are soft and have released most of their liquid. The liquid may boil whilst in the microwave; this is normal. Transfer the entire glass bowl of banana mush and liquid into a fine mesh strainer over a medium mixing bowl and allow it to drain. Use a wooden or plastic spoon to gently stir the banana mush for about 15 minutes, ensuring most of the liquid is strained out. You should have about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of liquid.
5. Place the strained banana liquid in a small to medium sauce pan and cook over medium-high heat until the liquid has reduced to 1/4 cup (approximately 5 to 10 minutes). Make sure you stir the liquid constantly while reducing so it does not burn in the pan. Once reduced, remove the pan from the heat and pour the liquid back into the banana mush. Combine the two with a potato masher until fairly smooth (do not use an electric mixer anywhere during this recipe). Whisk (or gently use the potato masher) in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.
6. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
7. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture (not vice versa) and stir ONLY UNTIL THE MIXTURE IS WET. You may have a few flour streaks in the batter, this is normal. It is important not to over mix or your loaf will not rise or cook evenly; leaving you with a half-hardened, half-pudding failure-loaf that no one will enjoy. Not even your dog.
8. OPTIONAL: Gently fold in the walnuts.
9. Scrape the batter into the loaf pan.
10. Take the last banana, remove it's skin, and slice it diagonally into 1/4 inch thick slices (wafers). Shingle the banana slices on top of the batter on either side towards the pan edges, leaving at least a one and a half inch wide space down the center to ensure an even rise.
11. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top of the banana slices and batter.
12. Bake at 350 degrees until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean. At 350 degrees, with an 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch pan, this will be 75 minutes right on the money. With a 9 by 5 inch pan, it will come out perfect after 70 minutes. Send your family out to the movies and eat the entire loaf yourself, you're not gonna want to share.
13. HOW RIPE IS RIPE?
14. The key here is fructose. Green bananas are loaded with starch. As they ripen, that starch is converted into fructose, the sweetest of sugars (mmmmmm...sugar). Yellow, lightly speckled bananas contain a very small amount of fructose and will still only produce very bland banana bread. Heavily speckled (near black or even completely black) bananas are flowing with fructose and contain almost no starch. We're aiming for a loaf with taste, not just texture, so it's important to wait until those bananas are good and ripe. However, do not use bananas that have been black for more than a day or you run a high risk of introducing mold and other fungi into your loaf. Killing your guests with poisoned food is generally considered rude (or illegal if you did it intentionally), so stick to the heavily speckled bananas.
|
|