I love making banana bread.
Not because it is effortless or because it’s delicious. Banana ‘anything’ completely appeals to my frugality. You have to use over ripe bananas. The more disgusting the bananas look; the better they will be in whatever you are baking. If a banana in my house has so much as a blip on it, my family turn up their noses! When the girls were little, I ended up with a lot of rejected bananas and not enough time to use them up – UNTIL…
A friend of mine told me that she kept her ripe bananas in the freezer until she was ready to use them. They continue to ripen as they freeze and then once frozen will keep until needed for baking. Thaw them overnight to make sure that they are at room temperature, peel them [which is extremely gross] then follow your recipe. Use the brown liquid from the thawed bananas as well as the fruit.
I got up early Saturday morning so I could get a jump-start on the day. I love the light at that time of day for photographing my food. While I was setting up my equipment on our veranda, I heard a roaring sound inches away from my head. It was a hummingbird. It was dive bombing me so that he could get near the banana bread. The sweetness from the peanut/skor topping must have sent him into attack mode – I kid you not!
He may look delicate but when banana bread is at stake he turns into a World War 1 ace fighter pilot. It was hilarious.
Happily, he went back to his feeder and we got to enjoy the warm Banana Split Bread. I used some of the flavours from Dairy Queen’s classic banana split when I wrote this recipe. Sinful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Banana Split Bread
preheat oven 350*F
Butter and flour two 9×5″ bread pans
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
6 large ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup milk with 1 teaspoon lemon juice, allow to curdle
1 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cups finely chopped salted peanuts
1/3 cup skor bits
In a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Beat eggs with sugar until very thick – about 10 minutes.
Reduce speed to low and add oil in a steady stream.
Stir in bananas, curdled milk and vanilla.
Fold in flour mixture and chocolate chips
Divide batter between pans, spread evenly.
Mix peanuts and skor bits together and sprinkle over the two breads
Check at 60 minutes, toothpick inserted into the centre should come out clean.
Cool loaves for 10 minutes, then turn out onto rack. Turn loaves right side up and cool completely.
Thanks for reading.
