Banananana Bread

I have a special bowl in the kitchen that holds some of my fresh produce. Bananas, Granny Smith apples, lemons, and the occasional orange are the usual residents. I'm very pleased with this bowl. See, it's not a typical bowl as it's square instead of round. This bowl also has a sunflower painted on the bottom of it in colors that match my new kitchen.

I also got this bowl on clearance for $4.99...regular price was $29.99.

I told you it was special.

But my bowl has a dark side. It seems that any fruit that enters the beautiful bowl, doesn't come out the same as it went in.

My Mister refers to it as "The Bowl of Death".

Personally, I think fruit is like a fine wine...the more it ages, the better it is.

Of course, I can't afford fine wine, so this is just an assumption on my part.

For me, bananas get better with age. They haven't reached their full flavor potential until there are brown spots all over them. When this happens, I peel some for the freezer and make banana bread with the rest.

One of the first recipes for banana bread that I ever received was from a lovely southern lady named Katherine. While her bread was melt-in-your-mouth delicious, it did not seem to melt off my thighs very easily. I'm not a calorie counter, a low-carber, or a non-fat foodie. I believe in eating until your satisfied, staying away from refined sugars and flours as much as possible, and slathering everything with butter. (Well, not everything. Pizza with butter is probably not a winning combination!) 

Katherine's recipe called for white flour, white sugar, butter, and vegetable oil. Other recipes that I've found have had 100% whole wheat, applesauce instead of oil, egg replacer (ew!) instead of eggs, and natural sugars of honey or maple syrup. I've even seen recipes calling for Equal!

Some things are just not right.

Until now. Well, not completely right, but you'll see at the end.

Please don't judge.

Banananana Bread

~The Players~

3 large, overripe bananas, peeled

1 cup honey

1/4 cup whole milk yogurt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/2 Tb. vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups soft white wheat pastry flour (fresh ground if possible)

3/4 t. baking soda

3/4 t. sea salt

2 t. ground cinnamon

Optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts are good, but so are pecans or almonds)

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas.

Add honey, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and melted butter to bananas; mix well and set aside.

In a separate bowl, sift together the pastry flour, baking soda, sea salt, and cinnamon.

Pour flour mixture into banana mixture and stir until flour is mixed in well. Don't overmix. Fold nuts into batter.

Grease 2 loaf pans.

Bake in a 350F. oven for 60 minutes, or until knife comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and let cool on wire racks.

Here's where I need to confess. I was in a hurry and didn't double-check my buttering of the loaf pans. Actually, I didn't get in a hurry until pan #2.

I'll just slap a little extra butter on this one.

Katherine would approve. ☺

Enjoy!