How to Make Banana Bread

One of the delicious treats that you can make for your kids as well as the rest of the family is banana bread. It is full of vitamins and is not complicated to make. Send some to school with the kids for snack time, make it to serve as a desert or create a great alternative to the typical breakfast. Using bananas that are a tad more ripe than those desired for eating by themselves is another way of saving money. Here is how to start.

Gather the Ingredients

To start, gather all the materials and ingredients you need. Take 1 3/4 cups of flour, 2 teaspoons of baking powder, 2/3 cup of sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1/3 cup of shortening or softened butter, some extra flour, cooking spray or butter to grease the pan and a cup of mashed bananas. Try to aim for 2 bananas mashed completely.

Getting it Ready for the Oven

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease all the surfaces of the inside of the pan. Sprinkle some flour into the pan, then shake the flour around until all the sides are already covered with flour. You can ensure that the bread will come out very smoothly this way. Mash the bananas, then mix them in with the other ingredients. Mix the sugar, baking powder, flour, salt and baking soda inside a medium-sized bowl.

Now put in the shortening or butter that is softened and mix this until it looks like crumbs. Add two eggs and mix some more. Put this mixture into the pan you have prepared. Bake this for about 30 or 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Check to see if it is done by inserting a toothpick into the middle of the pan and when it comes out with nothing on it, your banana bread is ready to come out of the oven.

Final Tips

You will find that work can be easier if you use a bread pan measuring about 4 x 8 inches deep. Try to reduce the total number of times that you open the oven to check on the condition of the banana bread, since heat can escape every time you open the oven door, thereby making baking periods longer.

When choosing the bananas to use, the overripe banana will work much better. When the peel has many brown spots, the banana will be sweeter than regular ripe bananas. When your bread appears to be browning before the middle is done, you can use aluminum foil to cover it. This will allow the bread to get done without over-browning the top. If you have more bananas you need to use, make several loaves at the same time and freeze the extras to keep them fresh. Do not forget to use oven mitts when removing the bread from the oven or you will burn your hands.

Making Chocolate Banana Bread

If you want to make chocolate banana bread, this can be done by adding 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, icing sugar and a cup of dark chocolate chips. While you are mixing the flour and baking powder together, add your icing sugar. Use a double boiler to melt the chocolate chips as well as the butter. Use the icing sugar to dust over the loaf when it is done. Bake the bread for about an hour. Allow this to cool down for about 40 or 50 minutes.