This was in the weekend Good Weekend section of the SMH for this weekend 16th and 17th September.
Any fool can cook Banana Bread by Matthew Evans
You wouldn't want to throw a banana away. Especially not when its dark skinned and ripe and full of flavour. Now that they're more affordable its time to keep a recipe on hand for when they become too ripe to eat fresh.
Banana bread (makes 1 modest loaf)
You can put overripe bananas in the freezer whole if you're not going to use them immediately. They keep really well and come out soft and soggy, perfect for cooking.
80g butter, softened
110g (just over 1/2 cup) caster sugar
60g (about 1/3 cup) dark brown sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp Kahula or Tia Maria (optional)
1 egg
275g ripe bananas flesh mashed well (about 4 small to medium bananas - juust over 1 cup of flesh)
100g unsalted chopped walnuts or similar
250g (just under 2 cups) plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb of soda
Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees celcius and line a 20 m loaf tin or similar.
Beat the butter with the sugars until very light and pale. Beat in the vanilla, optional liquer and the egg. Fold in the banana and nuts.
Sift the flour with the baking power and bicarb and fold in too. Pour into the loaf tin and bake for about 40 to 55 minutes or until cooked through. Test with a skewer.
Allow to cool in the tin for about 10 minutes, then serve sliced, at room temperature with butter or toast it and smear on a generous dollop of butter to make it soft and tender and incredible.
