Friday, October 2, 2015

Mama Jo's Banana Bread



Hello y'all!  It's been so long... I'm so sorry for that!  My little blog looks sad without having any posts for June... July... August... OR September!  I had a lot of fun this summer with my cute parade of kids - I just feel bad for YOU!  I had amazing plans to blog nothing but waffles in August - looks like we will have to save that one for another month ;0)


But since we are on the subject of breakfast --- let's get back to banana bread!  

(Say what? Huh, Jo -  Breakfast??? Really?  Banana bread for a breakfast food?) Heck yes!  With scrambled eggs and/or green smoothie - BEST BREAKFAST ever.  Ask my kids how many times I made it this week... and how many times I DIDN'T make oatmeal (please re-read granola blog for family insight with the oatmeal).

So it's official.  I found my blog again and remembered my password...  

This is for all you ladies out there making oatmeal all week long - I'm no longer one of you, and Payton Olivia is more than a little grateful.  :0)



BANANA BREAD

1. CREAM:
1/2 cup softened butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 egg yolks  (SAVE your egg whites!  
Put them aside in a bowl to whisk at the VERY end...)
1 teaspoon vanilla

2. COMBINE:
2 cups mashed bananas (about 5-7 ripe bananas)
1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

3. ADD:
  1/2 cup buttermilk

4. MIX IN A SEPARATE BOWL:
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups flour


Heat oven to 350.  

Cream together softened butter with the sugar.  
Then add and mix in egg yolks and vanilla.  
Mix well with a hand held mixer.

In their own bowl, pile up 5-7 naked bananas.  
Add 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice.  
Using the same hand held mixer, mash up all your bananas with the lemon juice.  
Combine with your creamed ingredients.

Add 1/2 cup buttermilk to the creamed items and mashed bananas; mixing with the hand held mixer.

Then add the combined dry ingredients; 
mixing again with a hand held mixer.

Beat the egg whites in a bowl until light and fluffy with a small whisk or fork.

Fold in beaten egg whites.

***Grease baking dish(s) with refined coconut oil (LouAna's is best!), or Pam cooking spray if you are doing a designed baking pan, and dust with sugar.  

(The stars are to make sure you know this is important --- grease, then dust with sugar... If you have questions about the sugar dusting, please re-read Emily's Brownie post.  If you still have questions after that, please don't ask them.  It's best with the dusting of sugar.  I can't promise amazing without it...) 

Fill whatever you are baking in NEARLY to the top!  
You only want to leave 1/2 inch space between the level of your batter and the top of your pan.  No more, no less. 
--- Note the edges in the photos for this step.

Bake muffins for 15-20 minutes.  
Small loaves 25-35 minutes.  
Large loaf 40-60 minutes.  

(OR UNTIL CAKE TESTER OR THIN KNIFE COMES OUT CLEAN and BREAD IS A DEEP GOLDEN BROWN.)

My pictured (AND FAVORITE FOR THIS!) bundt pan is a Pampered Chef Stoneware with 6 bundts.  They take 35-40 minutes.






Grab up all your ingredients
- plus 3 medium bowls,
one small bowl for your egg whites,
and all baking tools that make you happy...



Get your butter softened, and add sugar.
Get your bananas undressed ;0)
And put together your dry ingredients.




Using a hand mixer makes going from bowl to bowl
and adding ingredients easy peasy...
If you don't have one, get yourself one for Christmas
and mix thoroughly by hand until you do.




Add vanilla and egg yolks into your mixed butter and sugar.
Be sure to dump your egg whites in a small mixing bowl!
You still need them... just not right now.



Grab  your bowl of naked bananas and add lemon juice.
Pull them through your mixing beaters until mashed.




Don't kill your bananas and mash them
past chunky and into puree...
you want your banana bread to be a bit lumpy.  




Add your mashed bananas into
your creamed ingredients.  Mix.
Then add 1/2 cup buttermilk.  Mix.




Add your combined dry ingredients
and mix into your main bowl.
Batter will be very thick.


This little whisk is bliss! 
A fork or small whisk will do the trick...
This is the "before" on your egg whites
in that small mixing bowl.
You need a little elbow room
to get this done right,
so don't put it in a cereal bowl.
(You will have regrets and extra clean-up.)



TA DA!!!
Please make sure they are light and fluffy
before adding to your main mixing bowl...







Fold egg whites into your mixture gently.
Folding gently means you are patient...
It will happen, but it takes a moment!
This process makes this bread light and fluffy,
so it's worth it!
I pinkie promise...  :0)


  
 



Sugar.  Your.  Pans.



Fill up your pans nearly to the top with batter...
Pretty dang close to the top!  
About a 1/2 inch if you need to be precise.

Starting to brown up at 30 minutes...
However - cake tester came out
sticky and these pretties are 

NOT a deep golden brown.



MUCH   BETTER!




Let rest 10 minutes before bumping out of the pans!
They will break and fall apart if you don't...
Still eatable, just a big pile though and not very pretty.




Someone please invent a
"scratch-and-sniff" computer photo...  
:0)

ENJOY!!!
Breakfast... luncheon... 

family night treat... 
Sunbeam snack...
YES  PLEASE!