I Go Bananas; and Every Time I See Your Face, I SELF-DESTRUCT!

The coffeshop that I work at has a huge bookshelf on one wall, flanked by four or five other shelves, chock full of books and magazines. People donate to them, try to steal or buy them, and usually read them if they didn't bring one of their own. My favorite part of the assortment would have to be the large collection of Gourmet and Bon Appetit magazines. Although I get Bon Appetit, there are lots of issues from before my subscription that I like to go through.



I was doing just that one Sunday, while waiting for customers to realize that we were open so I could make them some coffee, when I came across a new banana bread recipe in the copycat section. My tried and true recipe is great, but it takes butter; and I have found that when you want to bake a lot of something, butter slows you down, both time-wise and financially. But eureka! This recipe had vegetable oil to substitute.In the end, I discovered that butter is better. This bread ended up being lighter and less dense than my other banana bread recipe, but it had just as much banana flavor.



Copycat of Some Sort of Banana Bread
Makes 2 large loaves

5 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
6 to 8 large overripe bananas
2 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 1/2 cups nuts, toasted and chopped (optional)


Prehet oven to 350 degrees. butter and flour two 9-inch loaf pans.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a bowl. Set aside.

In another bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Then whisk in sugar, oil, eggs, and vanilla. Pour flour mixture into wet mixture and whisk just until combined. Stir in nuts.

Pour batter into prepared pans and smooth tops with rubber spatula. Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Store at room temperature or wrap tightly with saran wrap and freeze.

Note: If I remember correctly, this made two loaves and then some. You could probably do 2 large and 1 small loaf, or 2 loaves and some muffins.

Hopes, Dreams, and Lemons

This story begins with a surplus of lemons. Although, it could possibly begin before that, when I bought the lemons in hopes of making lots of delicious, mildly-tart lemon poppy seed bread. I didn't want to rely on a mix any longer! Plus, I had at least two cups of poppy seeds that had been sitting on my counter for months. MONTHS. How long can those things last before they go bad?



Not wanting to tempt fate, I decided I had put the bread off for long enough and looked through my recipes on my computer for the file promisingly called "Lemon Poppy Seed Bread." When I opened it...alas! No lemons were used! Just a cake mix and a pudding mix. I know what you're wondering - why didn't I just look at the recipe before going to the store? Well, that would ruin the surprise, obviously.



So, I scrounged around and found a file named “Every Which Way Bread” that supplied me with ingredients to make just about every flavor of quick bread you can think of, excluding lemon poppy seed. This was when I decided to improvise; I have to improvise a lot. You can call it poor planning or creative expression, but baking has certainly helped me think a lot quicker on my feet.



This bread turned out to be quite delicious, and I got lots of pretty pictures from it. The only complaint I had was that it tastes exactly like the boxed mix. Seeing as how I made this bread specifically so I could get away from the mix, the only logical conclusion here is that I am cursed.



Lemon Poppy Seed Bread
Makes 2 large loaves

1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup poppy seeds
Zest of 1 or 2 lemons, to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Coat 4 small or 2 large loaf pans with vegetable cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, lemon zest and poppy seeds; stir until completely mixed. Make a well in the dry ingredients and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar and vegetable oil. Add eggs and beat slightly. Stir in lemon juice.

Pour wet ingredients into well of dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Distribute batter among the prepared pans, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes. Can be stored at room temperature or wrapped in saran wrap and frozen.

First Day of Spring

I honestly have no idea where I got this recipe, but I'm pretty sure it was vegan when I found it. Slowly I've added all sorts of animal by-products and other assorted ingredients and now I guess it's technically mine.



This is a very hearty fall/winter quickbread that I'm posting about at exactly the wrong time. People will eat it year round, however because it's mild and sweet and a good accompaniment to coffee. I like to coarsely chop the pecans, while the original asked for finely-chopped, but that's just because I like big crunchy things in my breads to add some interest and texture. I think my favorite part of this bread is that it has a crusty outside, which doesn't often happen when it comes to quickbread.



Don't be afraid to give this to a picky eater or someone who especially dislikes oatmeal; after the bread is baked, the quick oats are barely discernible.



Maple Oat Pecan Bread
Makes 2 loaves

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup maple syrup
6 tablespoons (3/8 cup) packed brown sugar
3 cups buttermilk*
2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottoms only of two nine-inch bread pans.

In a large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk together until blended. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the oil until smooth. Whisk in the maple syrup, brown sugar, and buttermilk. Stir in the oats and pecans.

Add wet ingredients to dry and stir with a wooden spoon until just combined. Pour into pans, smooth top, and bake until golden-brown and a tester inserted into the center of a loaf comes out clean, about 60 minutes.

*To make buttermilk, take 3 cups of milk and add 2 tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to it. Let sour for at least 10 minutes and use in place of buttermilk.