Banana Bread

    

     We all have those weeks, where we are left with brown speckled bananas.  I would like to share my  go to recipe with you for banana bread.  Moist, sweet and healthy, this bread is a must in your cooking regime.  It appeals to all ages, and can fill in as a supplement to any meal or stand alone as a snack.  I've been using this recipe for years.  I've adapted this recipe from The New England Cookbook, by Brooke Dojny.

Banana Bread

2 cups of all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon of fine salt, preferably sea salt

3/4 baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of allspice

4 bananas, very ripe

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, packed

6 rounded tablespoons of yogurt, either plain or vanilla, regular or Greek

4 tablespoons of unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

topping:  1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon mixed with 1/4 cup of raw sugar

optional mix-ins:  chocolate chips or toasted walnut pieces
(for large loaf:  3/4 - 1 cup;  for small loaves:  1/3 cup)


makes one large 9 1/2 x 5 1/4 loaf or 3 small 6 x 3 inch loaves

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray pan or pans with Pam and sprinkle with Wonder flour, tapping out excess.  Otherwise, grease pans and sprinkle with all-purpose flour.

Whisk dry ingredients together, 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of fine salt, 3/4 teaspoon of baking soda, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of allspice.

Peel bananas, and place in a large bowl.  Mash the bananas with a potato masher, fork or clean hands.  Add 2 cracked eggs at room temperature, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, packed, four tablespoons of melted and cooled unsalted butter, 6 rounded tablespoons of yogurt and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Whisk together, a few lumps is fine.

Now, slowly add the dry ingredients and continue to whisk slowly.  When most all the dry ingredients are added, switch to a rubber spatula and gently fold in the remaining dry ingredients.  Try not to overmix, that is the secret here.

Ladle your mixture into your prepared pan or pans.  If using the optional mix-ins, do so now.  Add in all at once and swirl in with a table knife.

Combine 1 tablespoon of ground cinnamon with 1/4 cup of raw sugar.  Sprinkle on top of loaf or loaves.  For one large loaf, bake for 55-65 min.  or until a skewer comes out clean from the center of loaf. Let cool for 10 min.  Then run knife along the edges, and gently turn out onto a cooling rack.   For smaller loaves bake about 40-44 minutes, and cool for 5 minutes.  Let cool completely before slicing with a serrated knife.