LOOKING for: Ways to make my Banana Bread lighter
linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
17 years ago
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minirose1
17 years agoshambo
17 years agoRelated Discussions
How long can you keep saved frozen bananas for banana bread?
Comments (14)The food charts I have for how long you can keep bananas in the freezer gave no amounts of time, and one said "extended freezer time" - whatever that means (LOL). I guess the goal should be to use the frozen bananas in a timely manner (few months), but I was moving some things around in my refrigerator freezer and I found several ripe bargain bananas that were quick-frozen then placed in a FoodSaver bag, vacuum-sealed shut -- early last summer and promptly forgotten about. I made them into banana bread the other day for yet one more offering to the "throngs" for breakfast during their Christmas visit. When you vacuum-seal peeled bananas (or most food destined for freezer storage), they will last longer than in a typical storage bag because they are stored oxygen-free. Oxygen-free storage prevents the moisture inside the food from migrating from the surface of the food into the bag, drying out or creating ice crystals in the bag. A food science tidbit about using overly-ripe bananas for banana bread. When a banana bread recipe only calls for baking soda as the only chemical leavening, overly-ripe bananas are not as acid (6.5-7.0 pH) as a regular banana (4.6 pH) in order to react in partnership with the baking soda. The reaction may be a weak one resulting in a heavy banana bread. A good banana bread recipe, one that ensures adequate leavening, will use both baking powder and baking soda. If the recipe only has baking soda, make sure a portion of the bananas aren't overly-ripe, or there is another ingredient in the recipe that provides an acid ingredient. That could be some lemon juice added to the bananas to keep them from oxidizing and turning dark, orange juice, honey used as the sweetener, or yogurt, sour cream or buttermilk, which are all acid foods that will react with the baking soda. -Grainlady...See MoreLOOKING for: Reliable sweet yeast bread recipe...
Comments (11)Linda, mahleb is like cardamom, hard to describe. It's made from the pit of the sour cherry and is used in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, especially sweet breads. This is how some sites describe its taste: "Mahleb tastes somewhat nutty and bitter." "...quite sweet with notes of cherry and almond. Some describe it as resembling marzipan." "... a combination of fragrant rosewater-like sweetness and a nutty and faintly bitter, but not unpleasant aftertaste." "Because of its fragrant character and potential for bitterness, use it sparingly, 1/2 to 1 tsp to 2 cups of flour in a recipe." "Especially in Greece, mahleb is loved for specialties like tsoureki [ÏÏοÏÏÎκι], a brioche-type braided sweet bread that is traditionally baked and eaten only at Easter time." That's what I was trying to make. Penzey's doesn't carry it, but The Spice House does. Here is a link that might be useful: The Spice House...See MoreLOOKING for: want moist banana bread recipe
Comments (13)Just posted this on the Cooking Forum. It is very moist due to the oil and the pineapple. Hawaiian Pineapple Banana Bread 3 cups flour 2 cups sugar 1 t. baking soda 1 t. cinnamon 3/4 t. salt 1 cup chopped pecans 3 eggs, beaten 1 cup vegetable oil 2 cups mashed bananas (about 5) 2 t. vanilla extract 1 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in nuts. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl. Mix wet ingredients into the bowl of the dry ingredients. Mix just until all is moistened. Put into two greased and floured regular (8.5") loaf pans. Bake for 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. Cool in the pans for 10-15 minutes then turn out onto a rack and cool completely. Makes two loaves. Source: my friend Belinda Grady Teresa...See MoreLOOKING for: Hunza diet bread
Comments (50)Just got the spam...from Sweden. The names were "Lotta" (wife) and "Lars" (husband/researcher). Hmmm...sounds like "lotta liars" to me! Anyway, I am not overweight at all, but do live healthy. The last 13 weeks I was on the "Body for Life" program by EAS...consisting of Myoplex shakes (protein), healthy meals (6 small meals a day), 100+ oz. water a day and exercise. Surprisingly, I lost 10lbs! (went from 112 lbs to 102) I really didn't think I could/needed to lose any weight, but I did. Some people think the 2-3 shakes I had a day was weird, but it provided my body with the nutrients and protein it needed to build/maintain muscle and keep my body from eating the muscle it was trying to build. Before I started this program, I would come in to work and not even eat until 1pm. Some people think that skipping meals will help lose weight...it might not add any extra fat or sugar to your diet, but not eating anything is often worse than eating. Your body will eat away at your muscle and your metabolism will go into starvation mode and hold onto all fat you put into it...thinking it might need it to survive later on. Because of that, I would NOT recommend only eating 3 bananas a day (see some peoples emails above), or 3 of only one anything a day. Perhaps this bread does offer the nutrients your body needs to maintain itself, which is much better than starving it. It would be a great thing to have in the morning rather than skipping breakfast. But I would not make up a diet solely of bread. Also, the person who said "Wheat is very bad for somebody trying to lose weight...even ONE cracker made with wheat can stop weight loss in its tracks" is RIDICULOUS! Maybe if you are sitting on your butt hoping that not eating a few things will be the miracle to help you lose 10 lbs...but in reality, wheat bread, crackers, ect. have more protein, fiber, and nutrients than those without. Your muscles crave protein and nutrients and once you activate and build muscle, you will burn a TON more fat/calories than by just altering your diet a bit. I'm not saying become a musclehead (I am not one at all), I am just saying that wheat is very healthy AND will help you burn fat...lose weight. It's kinda like those people who think if you drink 120 oz. of water in a day you will be retaining a lot of water, but in actuality, if you try this, you will feel much thinner at then end of the day...your shoes won't feel so tight and your wedding ring might even spin around your finger. Try it sometime...ps, the more you do it the less you have to run to the bathroom, your body gets use to it. And finally, why would you think the only recipe that makes sense is the flour, salt & water only one. 2,000 years isn't THAT long ago. Remember the Bible stories and the last supper picture (no, I am NOT a Bible thumper, just making an observation). They had bread back then...and it isn't suprising that they learned to add nuts, dates, raisins, or spices to bread. ......See Moredances_in_garden
17 years agograinlady_ks
17 years agolinnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)
17 years agolindac
17 years agoals_garden
17 years agokhandi
17 years ago
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linnea56 (zone 5b Chicago)Original Author