REC--Audeo's Banana Bread--tnt

[PA Baker]

We've been talking about this recipe a lot lately on various threads so I figured it was worth re-posting. In addition to Audeo's chocolate- and candy-making knowledge, I think we can all agree that this recipe is one of her legacies! I believe she originally got it from Cooks Illustrated on PBS. This is her original post with her notes/comments:

The BEST Banana Bread

Butter a non-stick bread pan, then flour well. (The flour is really important for the bread to “climb” against while baking. I had not done that before, and it makes a huge difference!)

Combine and mix well the following dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside:
2 cups AP flour
¾ cup sugar
½ cup toasted coarsely chopped walnuts
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt

In another medium bowl, coarsely smash 3 ripe bananas (use a large spoon or spatula and don’t puree – the banana needs to be chunky)

To the bananas, add and combine: (but try not to reduce the banana chunks)

2 large eggs, beaten
6 Tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
¼ cup buttermilk or plain yogurt

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and gently FOLD until the flour is thoroughly moistened. Pour into the prepared bread pan and spread the mixture evenly across the top.

Bake in a preheated 350-degree (F) oven for 45-50 minutes.

Before, I had mixed my batter in my KitchenAid, the wet stuff first, then added the dry and mixed some more. Making banana bread with this method yields a hearty, beautiful loaf that just yells “BANANA!” with every bite. Absolutely delicious!

 

[Otter]

Haven't heard from Audeo in a while - I miss her.

 

[Chief Longwind Of The North]

Me to. She was/is one of the greats on this site.

Seeeeya; Goodweed of the North

 

[kadesma]

Pa Baker, This recipe is similar to one I make..I've found I love chunks of banana in my banana bread, so, I let the banana skin get really speckled, then I squish the banana right in the peel..It will come out whole but will break up into good sized pieces..I then just add it to the already mixed batter and bake..And the plus is no dirty dish or fork

kadesma

 

[lyndalou]

Where is Audeo? I love this bread, it's a favorite in our home.

 

[luvs]

i'll e-mail her.

 

[SizzlininIN]

I have a loaf of her bread baking in the oven as I type. Had to make another trip to the store to get some ingredients but I'm sure its going to be worth it. I'm not a big baker but read in our local newspaper last night about reassessing your baking ingredients when preparing to bake. I knew my pure vanilla hasn't been used in awhile so I pitched it and bought fresh. I can't wait to try this.........I don't think I'm going to make it till supper though.

 

[GB]

Sizz this is such a good bread. You are going to love it!

 

[PA Baker]

GB's right, sizz. It'll be gone before dinner!!!

 

[SizzlininIN]

I couldn't resist.....I had to have a tiny slice....very good! I think I'll have to send the rest to work with hubby though or else my excercise/weight goals will be down the tube. I'm gonna have to walk an extra mile for my endulgence but oh well it was worth it

 

[SodiumPentathol]

Well I'm bumping an old post with a question... I tried making this bread last night and it took FOREVER to cook. My oven runs pretty close to accurate, I had a thermometer in and it showed 350, and the pizza I cooked afterwards came out perfectly and on time. Wondering if maybe I put in too much banana? I used 3 like the recipe said but maybe they were just too big. Even after it cooked for almost 2 hours the center is still fairly dense and moist, not bready like I'm used to... More fudgey. I covered it with tinfoil for part of the baking because the outside was in danger of becoming too brown and crispy.

The only things I can think of that I might have messed up on is
a) too much banana
b) I use a dark metal loaf pan, I haven't noticed any problems in the past but it might have affected timing....
c) covering it part way through to slow the browning...

Gotta say, even slightly moister than I was expecting this is a REALLY good banana bread. I'm gonna have to start adding different kinds of spices when I make it and see how good I can get my house to smell :P

 

[LPBeier]

This is supposed to be a fairly moist bread. I would say that 3 medium bananas or 2 large would be best and because you want it chunked, you don't want the banana too ripe. You shouldn't need to cover it but I also don't see that would cause a problem. The dark pan could cook the top and outsides a little faster, but you would have the affect of the centre being near raw and the outsides hard if this was the case....specially after two hours!

Hope that helps! Maybe GB or others who made it previously can chime in with some extra pointers. I have some bananas so I think I will give this a try.

 

[dcSaute]

I did a loaf about a week ago with two over ripe bananas - recipe time was 30 minutes but the toothpick kept me going for 45.

two hrs sounds a bit over the top - was the baking 'container' per recommendation?
doing things like baking in a sauce pan vs the more traditional loaf pan can drastically affect how the middle cooks.

did it rise properly? dead baking powder makes for really kewl & wet bricks . . .

 

[SodiumPentathol]

I used a load pan, my baking powder is no more than a month old... I'm going to make a second batch today with 2 bananas and see if they were the problem...