Banana Bread - An Evening Tea Delight!

 

Whenever my grandmother sees bananas losing their yellow color, she just keeps them aside for me to make banana bread out of them but due to my laziness, I always refuse to. After convincing me multiple times, I finally decided to give it a try. It turned out to be exceptionally delicious; and, beyond my expectations. From that day until today, it has been a part of our evening tea every week. It's a very quick and easy recipe. You can also make it a tradition and jazz up your evenings.

Banana bread is the finest and most delicious treat that is perfect for breakfast, dessert, or a mid-day snack. It is super simple to make, and only requires a few basic ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. In this recipe, we will gain the knowledge of how to make a moist and delectable banana bread that is sure to be a hit with the entire family.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter softened
• 2 large eggs
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Optional: ½ cup chopped dates, nuts (such as walnuts), and/or ½ cup chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 180°C. Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan with cooking spray or butter.
2. In a large bowl, combine the sugar and butter using a handheld mixer, or a stand mixer. Now, beat in the eggs. One egg at a time, until well combined.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas using a potato masher or fork. Stir in the vanilla extract.
4. Take the third bowl, and whisk together the dry ingredients like flour, baking soda, and salt. Gently add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing well until combined. If you are adding chocolate chips and/or dates, fold them into the batter.
5. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and even the top using a spatula. Bake the banana bread in the preheated oven for approximately an hour. Insert a toothpick if it comes out clean, it implies your banana bread is ready!
6. Remove the banana bread from the oven and place it for a few minutes to cool in the pan. Then, transfer it to a wire rack to cool down completely. Serve the banana bread warm preferably. Slice it and topped it with a hit of butter if you want.

Tips and Variations:

• If you have very ripe bananas, you can add in less sugar than mentioned in the recipe. The riper the bananas are, the sweeter they will be, so you may be able to get away with using less sugar if your bananas are very ripe.
• You can also add other mix-ins to the banana bread batter, namely chopped nuts, white chocolate chips, or dried fruit. Some tasty options are walnuts, dates, chocolate chips, raisins etc.
• For a healthier twist on this recipe, you can use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour and add in some rolled oats for extra fiber.
• If you have leftover banana bread and want to keep it fresh, you can wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also slice the banana bread and freeze it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. To thaw the frozen banana bread, simply place it in the refrigerator overnight or at room temperature for a few hours.

I hope you enjoy this delicious and easy recipe for banana bread as much as I do. It is a classic and beloved treat in almost every household.