Any great banana bread starts with a good basic batter. So, if you do not have one, go out and purchase a cookbook that has all the basic recipes you need. Many also have cooking tips that can be really handy, especially if you have forgotten how to fold your eggs. You are going to start with a basic banana bread recipe. But then you will make it all your own.
All banana bread recipes are going to be pretty much the same at the core. They can vary in quantities of each ingredient, but they all basically contain flour, butter, baking soda, salt, sugar (sometimes brown), eggs and bananas. I tend to like my baked goods moist, so I will pick a variation that calls for more eggs, for example.
Use the best ingredients you can, such as real butter (not margarine) and unrefined, organic sugar. Experience will teach you the proper level of ripeness for the bananas. They should be overripe, with a peel that has turned well brown.
Try the basic recipe out as is so you can be sure you like it, as well as be familiar with the flavor and consistency. Once you have found a recipe you know you like, you get to play. Just think about what sounds like a good addition to you, and then look for another recipe for any bread that has that ingredient so you know how much to use.
Here is an example. I think chocolate chips would be an awesome addition to a banana bread. So, I go to find a recipe for a bread that uses chocolate chips. Check the amount the recipe is supposed to make and be sure it matches what you have for the banana bread. If the apple chocolate chip bread calls for 1 cup of chips, that is a good place to start for your banana bread.
You might be thinking that chocolate chips sound great, but you need to have walnuts with those chips. Sounds good to me! But you will need to put in a little less of the chips to accommodate the nuts you are adding. A mistake that many people make is to change the recipe so there is no longer the same proportion of add-ins to batter. This will alter the consistency of your bread, and often not to your liking.
But you might be thinking that, while walnuts are good in banana bread, so are pecans. I like the sound of that, too. So you just need to adjust the recipe again. If you were using one cup of walnuts, now try a half cup of walnuts and a half cup of pecans. Or really experiment and try a third cup each of almonds, pecans and walnuts.
After you play around with your banana bread recipe a bit, you will find a variation that your family will not let you change. Pretty soon, the recipe is referred to as Emilys banana bread. It is the birth of a new family tradition.
Ben Cook teaches you how to bake banana bread at home and gives you lots of delicious banana bread recipes like this healthy banana bread recipe on his website.
