How to Make Banana Bread

Have you ever found yourself stuck with speckled, blackening bananas you won't eat? (Raises hand.) Don't throw them out! When life gives you overly ripe bananas…make banana bread! A cross between muffins and cake, banana bread is the perfect breakfast, snack or light dessert. It requires sweet, mushy bananas, so even if you must freeze them for later, do it! How to use freeze overripe bananas for banana bread: Peel your ripened bananas and break them in half. Place the bananas in a freezer bag and store them in your freezer. Thaw your bananas before using them in your banana bread recipe. How to Ripen Bananas Quickly Sometimes, you really crave banana bread. But, what if your bananas aren't ripe yet? Never fear. There are a couple sure-fire methods to quicken the process. The bag method: Enclose your bananas in a brown paper bag. This will help contain the ethylene gas the bananas emit, causing them to ripen faster. You can even add an apple to the bag to speed up the process. The oven method: Leave the peels on your bananas and place them in a single layer on a lined baking sheet. Bake the bananas at 300 degrees F for 30-50 minutes, until they turn completely black. Let the bananas cool before peeling them. How to Make Banana Bread Try this Classic Banana Bread recipe or even this Bacon Peanut Butter Banana Bread. In general, you'll use this method: Mash up three or four ripe bananas (the riper, the better!) Combine them with butter or oil. You can use melted butter and stir it in, or even brown butter for a richer, nuttier flavor. Or you can use softened butter and blend it with a mixer. Mix in one or two eggs, plus any flavoring, such as vanilla, or even liqueur! In a separate bowl, prepare your dry ingredients. You'll need flour, sugar, baking soda, salt and any spices like cinnamon, nutmeg or both. You can use all-purpose flour, whole wheat, another whole-grain flour or a combination. Use white or brown sugar. Fold your dry ingredients into your wet ingredients (the banana mixture), just until combined. Optional: Add mix-ins, such as chocolate chips, chopped nuts or citrus zest. Bake in a greased loaf pan just until a toothpick inserted comes out clean, with a few crumbs. Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 15 minutes before inverting the loaf onto a wire rack to finish cooling. Top with glaze or streusel, if desired. Tips for moist banana bread Do not overmix your batter. Fold your dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Brown sugar will yield more tender results than white sugar. Some say oil, rather than butter is the secret to moist banana bread. You can sift your dry ingredients to aerate the flour for fluffier, moist results. How to store banana bread Wrap your banana bread in plastic after the loaf has cooled off. Store wrapped banana bread at room temperature for up to three days. You can store wrapped banana bread in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can freeze banana bread for up to three months. Place your wrapped banana bread in a freezer bag first. Are you tired of the dinner routine? Stuck in a rut or looking for fun new recipes to try? Our Facebook Group is growing every day! If you haven't joined yet, we invite you to come check it out and join the fun. You can ask for recipe ideas, talk about cooking techniques, or get help figuring out the right new pan set for you. If you've already joined, invite a friend along! via Food Fanatic http://ift.tt/2o7LUyI Food Fanatic