Baking - Banana Bread

My second attempt at making this delicious treat turned out much better than I had anticipated. I have become quite fond of cooking just lately (baking particularly) after being inspired by so many of you wonderful foodie bloggers. In this post I am going to talk you through the steps required to make this simple yet delicious treat in the comfort of your own home and maybe even getting your banana bread looking as good as mine if you're lucky (just kidding).

Ingredients

So to begin, make sure you have all the ingredients you need - pretty self explanatory. I have missed the milk off this picture but you will need the following:

-285g plain flour (I used wholemeal just to be super healthy)

-1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

-½ tsp salt

-110g butter, plus extra for greasing

-225g caster sugar (I halved the amount of sugar, again to be super super healthy)

-2 free-range eggs

-4 ripe bananas, mashed (Next time I may use more to make up for the lack of sugar)

-85ml buttermilk (or normal milk mixed with 1½ tsp lemon juice or vinegar)

-1 tsp vanilla extract (I didn't use this)

Added Extras

To make my banana bread that extra bit delicious I decided to add pecan nuts to the mixture which are quite pricey but work really well in this dish. I also used a handful of cranberries to give it that extra kick of sweetness. 

You will also need:

-A baking dish for your bread mixture

-2 bowls for your mixtures

-A whisk

-Tissue for greasing

-A spoon for measuring

-Weighing scales

The ingredients required

Start by weighing your flour

And then adding your salt to the mixture

Next step is to weigh your butter

And add your sugar to the butter in a separate bowl. Make sure this mixture is light and fluffy (a process known as creaming).You can use yours hands to do this or a spoon like I did.

Next step is to add your two eggs to your sugar and butter mixture. Note - I have a double yolk here, I didn't use three eggs.

Once you've done that, add the four mashed bananas to this mixture. I mashed mine using a fork. It is important that you use black bananas which you can purchase readily from the supermarkets for a fraction of the price. This adds sweetness and makes it easier to mix too.

Next, measure your milk and add your vinegar or lemon to make the buttermilk 

Then, add this to the mixture

Along with your flour and salt. 

Finally, fold in the flour to the mixture slowly. This will take a while but it's important that you do this gradually.

Add whatever filling you prefer. I used pecan nuts and cranberries on this occasion. The pecans work particularly well with the softness of the bread.

And here it is, your completed mixture all ready to go in the oven at 180 degrees for around 40 minutes - I left mine in for a good 50 minutes to ensure the middle was cooked.

See I told you it wouldn't look that bad!

So there you have it - the finished result and I assure you - it tastes as good as it looks. The perfect mid afternoon snack with a cup of tea without the guilt. I hope you have enjoyed my first baking post. Sure to look out for many more over the upcoming months!

Do you like banana bread? What fillings do you prefer?

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