Anaale, Everything and Nothing: May 2020

Guess who's Back?!

I know! I can't believe its been almost 3 years since I posted a blog! Well, I'm "back-ish" (I'll work at posting weekly, but this is not a promise), and what better way to re-launch this blog than with a recipe? (yeah, I'm still a foodie, and I have gained a few extra pounds to show for it! Ha-ha).

This weekend I made some multi-nut, multi-seed "half-wheat" banana bread (pictured below) which is my second favorite banana bread recipe after my whole-wheat banana bread recipe.

The major difference between the two recipes is that for the former I use yogurt while I use milk for the latter (I will post the plain recipe in another post). Having both recipes in my head, I accidentally added both yogurt and milk to this recipe and as you can guess, the loaf turned out painfully soft. I did notice the inconsistent texture during the mixing process but for some weird reason, and this is unlike me, I didn't catch the error until the cakes were out of the oven! That said, I have posted the correct recipe here without the error and this will yield a moist banana bread with nutty goodness. Before we get to the recipe, here are a few tips for making a great banana bread:

Bananas

The secret to a great banana bread is rotten bananas, literally, or to put it more tastefully, over-ripe bananas. The browner your bananas the better. I usually let my yellow bananas sit out for a week or two before using them (see picture below for a visual, and they could most certainly get browner than that). Most banana bread recipes will call for about a tsp of vanilla, but when the bananas get super ripe, they provide such a rich flavor that I totally skip the vanilla and still end up with yummy goodness. It is also important not to over-mash the bananas to allow for a mouth-filling texture. A potato masher can be used for this, but I prefer to use a fork.

Over-ripe bananas

Mashed bananas

Flour

For this recipe, of which I made 2 batches , I used 250 g (2 cups) of all-purpose flour and 150 g (1 1/4 cup) of whole wheat flour but it is entirely fine to use 400 g (3 1/4 cup) of all-purpose flour [note that the recipe given below is for a single batch and so uses 200 g of flour in total]. I substitute whole wheat flour for some of the all purpose flour just so that I can have a lot more fiber in my recipe, but given that this recipe is packed with nuts and seeds, it still offers some additional fiber compared to plain recipes even when the whole wheat flour is skipped. Also, while most recipes call for sifting of flour(s), I skip this step and my loaf still turns out fine. Just make sure to whisk dry ingredients together properly to ensure adequate mixing.

Temperature of Ingredients

Keep all ingredients at room temperature to ensure that the barter is well aerated and the cake has a light fluffy texture (yes, the banana bread is actually a cake). Remember that cakes are different from pies and so do not require any of the ingredients to be ice-cold as is recommended when making pie crusts. To achieve room temperature, set ingredients out of the fridge for about an hour or two before the baking process starts. Melt butter in a microwave (or leave out in the sun if it is a sunny day), but be sure not to make it too hot otherwise it will cook your eggs when you pour it into the liquid ingredients. Heat it up until just melted but not boiling.

All ingredients pictured are for a double batch (recipe x2)

Melted butter

Recipe: Multi-grain-seed [half-wheat] banana bread

Ingredients (1 loaf)

3 small/medium over-ripe Bananas, mashed (about 320g)
1/4 cup (50 g) Brown Sugar
1/4 cup (50 g) White Sugar, Granulated
1 stick or 1/2 cup (113.5 g) Butter, Unsalted
2 large (100.0 g) Eggs
1/2 cup (122.5 g) Greek yogurt, plain, whole milk
1 cups (125 g) White All-Purpose Flour, Enriched
1/2 cup and 2 tbsp (75g) Whole Wheat Flour
1 tsp (4.6 g) Baking Soda
1/2 tsp (3.0 g) Salt
1/2 cup (65.0 g), chopped Almonds, Dry Roasted, Unsalted
2 tbsp (13.6 g), chopped Pecans, Dry Roasted, Unsalted
2 tbsp (14.6 g), chopped Walnuts
1/4 Cup (40 g) Cranberries (Note: I used Ocean Spray, pomegranate, Craisins, dried, juice infused)
Handful of silvered almonds (for topping)
2 tbsp (12g) Flax-Chia mix - optional

Major Equipment

2 Large mixing bowls

Weighing scale (or measuring cups)

Measuring spoons

Potato masher or fork (I prefer to use a fork)

Loaf pan (8.5"x4.6"x2.75" OR 9"x4")

Baking spray

Wooden spoon or whisk (for mixing)

Preparation

Prep: Preheat oven to 350 °F (176 °C) and grease a 8.5"x4.6"x2.75" inch pan (either spray with a baking spray or grease with oil and then dust with flour)

1. Mix all dry ingredients (flours, sugars, baking soda, salt) and whisk thoroughly to ensure that it is uniformly mixed

2. Add all wet ingredients together and mix thoroughly (mashed bananas, eggs, yogurt, melted butter)

3. Gently fold in dry ingredients
4. Add nuts, craisins and seed and mix gently

5. Pour into greased pan, top with silvered almonds and bake for 45-60 min or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean

6. Allow to cool for about 15 min. If you are using a reusable pan, you can take the cake out after 15 min and allow to cool further on a wire rack. If you are using a single use aluminum pan, allow to cool for another 30 minutes before covering with plastic lid.