I had banana bread for the first time from a local road-side shop on our way to Hana in Maui, Hawaii. They were freshly baked and were sold in small zipper lock bags for 5$ / half lb or so. It was so delicious that we had lots of it that day. I had no idea that it was so easy to make until my friend Reshmi shared this easy banana bread recipe. Nowadays I make it whenever I have some ripe banana left. It calls for the most common ingredients that are available anytime in our kitchen pantry. You just need to mix them and bake for an hour. You do not even need a hand mixer, you can use a spoon or fork. You can have them for breakfast, as a tea-time snack or even as dessert. This is the basic recipe for a banana bread. There are n number of variations that you can make to this basic recipe. You can make it even more delicious by adding chopped walnuts, almonds, chocolate chips, raisins or other dry fruits and nuts of your choice. I will post the healthier version soon with whole wheat flour, honey, nuts and absolutely no oil!
Ingredients
- All purpose flour - 2 cup
- Banana - 3 overripe
- Sugar - 3/4 cup
- Eggs - 2
- Baking powder - 1tsp
- Baking soda - 1 tsp
- Cinnamon powder - 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Apple sauce - 1/2 cup (optional, added to make it moist)
- Vanilla essence - 1/2 tsp (optional)
- Canola oil - 1/2 cup
Method
1. Mash the banana with a fork.
2. In a bowl add 2 cups of flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon powder. Give it a mix and stir in the eggs, apple sauce, vanilla essence and canola oil. Now add the mashed banana mixture and mix well.
3. Grease a baking tray or loaf pan and pour the mixture. Preheat the oven at 350 F and bake for 1 hour until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Take it out and let it cool in the pan for around 10 mts or so. Cut into slices and enjoy!!
Tips:
1. You can substitute all purpose flour with whole wheat flour for the healthier version.
3. You can reduce the quantity of oil and add some honey instead.
