Out of the mouthwatering list of fruit bread types one stands out above all others, shining like the perfect, tempting delight that it is. Behold, the scrumptious moist banana bread. I am deliberately using the term moist by the way because some of us like their fruit breads crumbly, but I like my banana bread moist, so the wonderful banana and vanilla aroma melts away in your mouth.
I’ll stop right there before I start to look like I actually date moist banana bread. The truth is I just love it and I have experimented a lot with how to get the taste, the moisture, the aroma, the “sugariness” exactly right. I found that this probably isn’t worth sharing. I’ve served these wonder-breads to at least 10 people, out of which no two liked the same type; recipe should not be precise, as cooking is not necessarily an exact science.
Let’s take a look at what’s needed for some basic moist banana bread, but beware, just reading the list will make you crave it, you have been warned. Obviously you will need bananas, about 2-5, depending on how much tropical goodness you want in your loaf. I prefer it to be as-bananas-as-can-be, but if you put too much in, you might get a soggy old thing in the end (although the taste will probably still be heavenly). Actually, all other ingredients are what you would need for some basic dough. 1/3 cup of butter (melted of course), 3/4 to 1 and 1/2 cup of sugar, a thoroughly beaten egg, a tiny pinch of salt, a teaspoon of baking soda and 1 1/2 cup of baking flour. I also use a healthy helping of vanilla in there.
The real trick in getting the taste right is the balance between the bananas and the sugar content. First of all, the amount of vanilla you should apply to the banana bread mixture depends on weather it is vanilla sugar or pure vanilla. Pure vanilla is very strong, so you don’t need to put a lot, while vanilla sugar also contains sugar, so take that into account when adding the actual sugar. Also remember that our friend the banana has quite a high sugar level, so it isn’t too hard to overdo the sweetening.
We have arrived to the point in the article where my mouth is watering, bananas are floating around me and I am proverbially licking my fingers after the yummy moist banana bread. I have regained control so it is time to add and elaborate! The wonderful thing about any bread recipe is that you can easily tailor it to your own liking. I frequently add a dash of cinnamon to the recipe for example. I’m the type of guy who will put cinnamon on anything, but trust me, your taste buds will experience a whole new world with this little add on. Other options include some ginger, a hint of lemon, maybe a tiny bit of mint (although I don’t really like this variant), and the list goes on and on with the spices we all love. If you want to get really fancy, you could try and melt some chocolate and add it in to make your moist banana bread a bit moister and full of chocolate goodness. Usually dark chocolate is the best, but I frequently use milk chocolate, I just like it more. To true connoisseurs this will be an atrocity but hey, I’m cooking this for myself. Just as with the sugar watch out as chocolate has an extremely high concentration, so if adding it, you may want to cut back on the sugar.
To make a long story short, the only way you will be able to make the best moist banana bread is by going to the kitchen right now to cook one. Follow my recipe lightly, add a bit of this, add a bit of that, put yourself (not literally) into the recipe. When all done, cut the loaf into small pieces, put two slices on a plate, cut a few slices of banana next to it, and perhaps dress it with a mint leaf and I’m sure your family will feint before they even touch it (leaving you all the fun of eating).
