Banana Bread

                  This is one of the first specifically flavoured breads I started experimenting with.The fact that it is too easy to make than any other cakes elevates its fondness among beginners. And you need not wander anywhere out of your kitchen to collect the ingredients. If you have some over ripe bananas which you hesitate to throw out, then just mash them up and add into your cake batter and you have a delicious bread for the afternoon tea which your family is gonna love. I usually use the bright yellow Chiquita bananas . There are many virtues in using it.. like, they are easily available year round and very economical. And you can easily say whether it is adequately ripe or not from the skin colour. The skin tends to turn brown when it is very much ripe..

                The banana bread is thought to be more dry compared to a banana cake but mine turned out to be quite moist and soft.So I am still in doubt whether this is a bread or cake. I came to know that banana bread is a traditional bread of England and started baking with a child like exuberance. But I was also worried if I may be botched. The original recipe had mentioned adding treacle in it. But I baked it without adding treacle as I did not have it handy. The bread was not that dark with out treacle but it had the quintessential flavour of bananas and was incredibly moist. As I was baking it, the endearing fragrance of the cooked banana wafted out into the hall which brought hubby into the kitchen a couple of times. Usually he is unaware of what goes on in the surrounding world, drowned in news browsing in his computer..

                
Coming to the recipe...

Things you need:

125 g butter plus extra for greasing
150 g light soft brown sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 very ripe bananas mashed
250 g plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

How to:

 Preheat the oven to 180 degree C/ gas mark 4. Grease a 1 kg capacity loaf tin and line the base with parchment paper. Beat the butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in colour. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time ,beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas to this mixture. Sift the dry ingredients together with a pinch of salt and then fold gently into the banana mixture.( It is important to fold the dry ingredients in gently with a spoon until just incorporated rather than simply stirring) Transfer the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a skewer placed in the middle of cake comes out clean and dry. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Serve the sliced loaf with peanut butter or whipped cream.