All of the best banana nut bread recipes you find in cookbooks will suggest ripe bananas. Nothing is wrong with a firm banana, but as a banana ripens, it begins to change. These changes break down the fiber and pulp, which make ripe bananas the better choice for baking. The softer the banana, the easier it is to work with when making bread dough. As the banana ripens, it becomes sweeter as well.
When making banana nut bread recipes or any bread recipes that include fruit, it's important that you maintain a light hand during mixing in order to keep the bread light. Stirring or beating the flour too hard or too long will cause the flour protein or gluten to become stiff. Be gentle to the batter and the end result will be a melt-in-your-mouth delicacy.
Easy Banana Nut Bread Recipe
Ingredients You Will Need:
½ cup butter
1 ¼ cup white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 ½ cup mashed ripe banana
1 ¾ cups bread flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup chopped walnuts
Beat the first six ingredients until blended. Stir in remaining ingredients until dry ingredients are just moistened. Do not over mix. The batter should be enough for about five mini bread loaf pans. Place the pans on a cookie sheet and bake in a preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes at 325 degrees.
This simple bread recipe can be made richer by adding chocolate and peanut butter chips. Adding about half a cup of sliced strawberries or blueberries is also a delicious way to use up berries that you would otherwise throw out. In fact, most recipes for bread are forgiving if you add a few bread ingredients of your own.
When baking bread from scratch, nuts are always acceptable, as are pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds. The trick is to add a few, not a lot. A half cup of seeds or nuts will not overly dry out bread. Take care when adding items such as coconut, which can dry bread out quickly. To retain moistness, add about ¼ cup of sour cream to the batter along with the coconut.
 | Learning how to make bread takes practice, but once you have a handle how the ingredients work together to influence taste, texture and loaf size, you'll be writing your own bread recipes to share with friends. |
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 | Quick breads are so named because these sweet, and less commonly savory, breads rely on leavening other than yeast to rise and form. |
Scone recipes can be an indulgent treat if you don't mind the extra calories. But, if you're a scone lover who is watching her weight, you can have your scone and eat it, too. |
Want the best banana nut bread recipe for a bread machine? Let your bread machine do most of the work, and fill your home with the comforting smells of banana nut bread. |
