It's one of those sure-fire recipes that even a klutz can't go wrong with - Rachel Ray's Banana Bread.
If you have a child who has food allergies...you could always substitute one ingredient for another, with only slightly different results. The taste and the appearance of the bread remains pretty much the same - perhaps a little more rubbery and intense in flavor if using applesauce, or moist and crumbly if using condensed milk (both egg substitutes) - but otherwise, nothing to complain about. It remains healthy and robust. The applesauce and egg should be substituted using weight proportions (1 egg = 50 grams, therefore substitute with 50 grams applesauce/condensed milk).
If your child is allergic to nuts - you could skip them and add only the dried fruit...or pumpkin/poppy seeds if you have them. Nature is bountiful. We need to find the alternative to foods that one is allergic to, and preserve them in their innocence as much as we can. To live organic.
That said, I haven't tried making this bread with rice/corn/tapioca flour (for those who are allergic to wheat). Usually, the wheat allergy is accompanied with a nut intolerance. One would have to rework this recipe to find the right mix of ingredients (rice/other flour, xanthum gum, etc) that works. To save time and energy, just visit your nearest 'Health Hut' or 'Whole Foods' store and search the baking section for allergy free cake/bread mixes. There are so many out there, you won't be disappointed.
This recipe contains no soy - so those with a soy allergy only need to check their ingredients for soy traces before using them.
I sometimes throw in a handful of steel cut oats and it makes the bread denser and chewier.
I find this banana bread a great breakfast choice - a slice with the customary cup of coffee keeps your engines fired till lunchtime. And a good teatime snack as well. Or, if you're like me, a slice helps to keep one's mind focused on management texts, between meals...
Well, no more talk. Here are the goods - I took care to capture most steps, as you can see :)...
Rachel Ray's Banana Bread
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Grease, flour, and line your bread pan.
I use my trusty, much used, 6 year old non-stick pan. I think I bought it in a dollar store, way back when we lived in Singapore - pre-2007. Believe it or not, it works just as well as the Calphalon/ IKEA non-stick ware we have, and has survived the dishwasher, hours of 3rd-degree scalding soaks in the kitchen sink, and even being subjected to pressure by my sons who thought it would make a convenient stepping stool.
3. In a bowl, mash 2-3 over-ripe bananas.
4. Add 1/4 cup oil (canola/olive) - the taste will differ very slightly as the bananas and dried fruit are the stronger flavors. I haven't tried using peanut or sesame oils in this bread, but if I do, I'd probably change the accompanying ingredients as well (pumpkin/poppy seeds, perhaps a dash of lemon juice)...
5. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (you could skip the vanilla if there isn't any at home). Keep aside.
6. In another bowl, assemble the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1 cup white/brown sugar (your choice would change not only the taste but the color as well),
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/2 teaspoon baking powder,
1 teaspoon baking soda.
7. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mix in stages.
8. Add 1 cup dried fruit of your choice - cherries/raisins/cranberries... - the tart ones work better than the sweeter ones like dates. I used dried craisins in the mix shown below.
9. Add 1 cup nuts of your choice - walnuts/pecans - they work better than do almonds and cashews. I used pecans this time.
10. Add 1 cup chocolate chips - the dark ones work best! :)
11. Pour the batter into the pan, and center it in the oven for about 70-80 minutes.
12. The bread half done...
13. Voila! (Ahem, a tad burnt I'll admit)
14. And for breakfast this morning...
As I wrap up this blog post, I can hear my friend's voice ring in the distance..."AA, at this rate, you'll never lose weight!"
If you have a child who has food allergies...you could always substitute one ingredient for another, with only slightly different results. The taste and the appearance of the bread remains pretty much the same - perhaps a little more rubbery and intense in flavor if using applesauce, or moist and crumbly if using condensed milk (both egg substitutes) - but otherwise, nothing to complain about. It remains healthy and robust. The applesauce and egg should be substituted using weight proportions (1 egg = 50 grams, therefore substitute with 50 grams applesauce/condensed milk).
If your child is allergic to nuts - you could skip them and add only the dried fruit...or pumpkin/poppy seeds if you have them. Nature is bountiful. We need to find the alternative to foods that one is allergic to, and preserve them in their innocence as much as we can. To live organic.
That said, I haven't tried making this bread with rice/corn/tapioca flour (for those who are allergic to wheat). Usually, the wheat allergy is accompanied with a nut intolerance. One would have to rework this recipe to find the right mix of ingredients (rice/other flour, xanthum gum, etc) that works. To save time and energy, just visit your nearest 'Health Hut' or 'Whole Foods' store and search the baking section for allergy free cake/bread mixes. There are so many out there, you won't be disappointed.
This recipe contains no soy - so those with a soy allergy only need to check their ingredients for soy traces before using them.
I sometimes throw in a handful of steel cut oats and it makes the bread denser and chewier.
I find this banana bread a great breakfast choice - a slice with the customary cup of coffee keeps your engines fired till lunchtime. And a good teatime snack as well. Or, if you're like me, a slice helps to keep one's mind focused on management texts, between meals...
Well, no more talk. Here are the goods - I took care to capture most steps, as you can see :)...
Rachel Ray's Banana Bread
1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Grease, flour, and line your bread pan.
I use my trusty, much used, 6 year old non-stick pan. I think I bought it in a dollar store, way back when we lived in Singapore - pre-2007. Believe it or not, it works just as well as the Calphalon/ IKEA non-stick ware we have, and has survived the dishwasher, hours of 3rd-degree scalding soaks in the kitchen sink, and even being subjected to pressure by my sons who thought it would make a convenient stepping stool.
3. In a bowl, mash 2-3 over-ripe bananas.
4. Add 1/4 cup oil (canola/olive) - the taste will differ very slightly as the bananas and dried fruit are the stronger flavors. I haven't tried using peanut or sesame oils in this bread, but if I do, I'd probably change the accompanying ingredients as well (pumpkin/poppy seeds, perhaps a dash of lemon juice)...
5. Beat in 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla essence (you could skip the vanilla if there isn't any at home). Keep aside.
6. In another bowl, assemble the dry ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour,
1 cup white/brown sugar (your choice would change not only the taste but the color as well),
1/2 teaspoon salt,
1/2 teaspoon baking powder,
1 teaspoon baking soda.
7. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet mix in stages.
8. Add 1 cup dried fruit of your choice - cherries/raisins/cranberries... - the tart ones work better than the sweeter ones like dates. I used dried craisins in the mix shown below.
9. Add 1 cup nuts of your choice - walnuts/pecans - they work better than do almonds and cashews. I used pecans this time.
10. Add 1 cup chocolate chips - the dark ones work best! :)
11. Pour the batter into the pan, and center it in the oven for about 70-80 minutes.
12. The bread half done...
13. Voila! (Ahem, a tad burnt I'll admit)
14. And for breakfast this morning...
As I wrap up this blog post, I can hear my friend's voice ring in the distance..."AA, at this rate, you'll never lose weight!"
