Banana Bread for Mother

annie1992

7 years ago

As I've mentioned, my 83 year old Mother is staying with us, she fell and sustained a compression fracture in her spine and my house is all on one level, so she can get around with the walker. It seems she's stuck with me for a while, until she heals up enough to go back to her own home, or until she heals up enough to get into her own home, up 3 pretty substantial porch steps.

She eats very little in the morning, usually a cup of yogurt and sometimes a banana. Not enough bananas, though, because I had a bunch getting over ripe. She does like banana bread, so I dug out the recipe and started baking.

She had a slice warm from the oven and another one for breakfast with a smear of butter. I'm hoping she'll eat it all, because I have more bananas getting ripe, she's eating more banana bread than she is bananas, LOL.

Annie

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

7 years ago

Re: the frozen bananas. I was at a dinner party recently and the dessert was frozen bananas. You freeze very/overripe bananas without the peels. When you have accumulated a sufficient quantity, thaw them slightly at room temperature - just enough to be able to break them easily into chunks. Then put in a food processor or blender and smoosh (technical cooking term) them into a very smooth consistency and refreeze until ready to serve.

The result has the consistency of ice cream but without any additional sugar, cream or eggs. Delicious, healthy and super easy. And a nice change-up use for overripe bananas!

btw, a little chocolate sauce drizzled over the top doesn't hurt :-)

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Comments (15)

sheilajoyce_gw
7 years ago
I love it with either peanut butter on it or cream cheese.
wintercat_gw
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Looks so good! Would your mother eat sliced or mashed bananas with whipped heavy cream? It looks like dessert but it's actually real food and very nourishing too. Perhaps an ice cream made with bananas and heavy cream?
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The draining of juices and using the reduced juice will give you a more dense "bread" texture and won't be as soft as a bread with whole bananas in it. We usually make one that has whole bananas no yogurt and one less egg and use chocolate chunks (baking semi sweet). Walnut quality is important as well - better if toasted with salt.
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I agree with those who suggested the need to smooth the batter in the pan as a reason for the uneven shape. I bet it tasted great ;-). This is information I use as judging standards at fairs and some of the baking science involved. I would suggest getting an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is 350°F. It may need adjusting, which is a common problem. Did you use the same size pan as the recipe called for? The loaf looks a little thin and may have been designed for a regular loaf pan (8-1/2x4-1/2"). A 9x5" loaf pan is commonly used for a quick bread, but not always. Personally, I dislike 9x5" loaves and will use a Danish Loaf Pan (aka Tea Loaf Pan) that holds the same volume, but the loaf is long and narrow. Slices from a 9x5" pan are too large for cutting into thin slices and often fall apart in the middle - especially if the fissure on the crust is large (BTW - the fissure on the crust looks quite normal). Using a Danish Loaf Pan, the bread bakes faster and is a nicer size for serving. (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/tea-loaf-pan) Cracks in the crust are typical of quick breads and do NOT necessarily indicate an unsatisfactory product. Here's what happens to cause them. --The large mass of batter in the loaf pan heats slowly. Therefore it is desirable to allow time for the leavening agent to react, and an increase in volume to take place, before the crust sets. When this procedure is followed a baked product with a smooth, rounded crust results. When baking is too rapid, a cracked top crust and more solid crumb will result. --Using long, narrow pans will result in a loaf with a crease or small crack on top. Consistency of batter will influence the depth of the crack. Batter touching the pan bakes first. As batter warms to baking temperature, it thins and allows a film of fat and sugar to run toward the center of the crust; thus a shiny line or a sticky crack forms down the center of the loaf. --A crack forms because the unbaked batter under the crust "erupts" when the leavening agent reacts [with the heat]. Baking hints and options to help prevent cracked crust: Preheat oven to 350°F and bake quick bread as soon as it is mixed. Preheat oven to 375-400°F. Cover quick bread and allow to stand at room temperature 20-30 minutes before baking. Tent a piece of heavy foil over the top of the loaf pan filled with batter. Allow foil to remain until batter rises and begins to brown, then remove foil carefully so that you do not touch the soft crust. This keeps the top moist and prevents a heavy crack from forming. -Grainlady
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Martha, you are the only other person I know who has said they buttered banana bread. We also buttered bran muffins, biscuits and cornbread. Seagrass, I usually add nuts, but I've never used cream cheese. Now I'll have to try it. Maybe toast it? Carol, I have a recipe that takes peanut butter and chocolate chips, my kids thought it was the perfect combination: bananas/peanut butter/chocolate. I thought it was a little sweet, more like cake than a quick bread, but it was pretty good anyway. Annie
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It should be fine either way. I like a lighter bread so I drain off the liquid, but if you prefer the more moist, dense bread, include it. Somewhere I read a recipe where they microwaved the bananas to get the liquid off. An alternative was to freeze, then separate the liquid. If I remember correctly, they boiled the drained liquid to half, this was to increase the banana flavor. I keep meaning to try that part of it, but always forget.
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mr1010
7 years ago
Just so you know, you can make BB and freeze the extra for future use.

Also for her nutrition, you can add chopped or pulverized nuts (esp. walnuts),

chopped dates, or raisins.
fawnridge (Ricky)
7 years ago
Nice looking banana bread. I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks.

On the subject of stairs... have you considered building her a ramp over the stairs?
User
7 years ago
Looks good -- soemtimes I buy overripe bananas just to make banana bread!
chloebud
7 years ago
That looks delicious! Wish I'd had some for my own breakfast. I'd much rather eat banana bread than bananas.
Nancy 6b
7 years ago
Yum, now I want banana bread, along with all the cookies, candy and other stuff i can't seem to stop eating since Christmas. Hope your mother recovers nicely
annie1992
Original Author
7 years ago
Thanks, everyone!

Mr1010, I know I can freeze banana bread, but my freezers are pretty full since I grow my own grass fed beef, organic chickens, have a big garden plus my husband hunts deer. So, if I could spare the freezer room, I'd bake extra! And she does like nuts, but I didn't have anything except cashews, which just didn't seem "right".

Ricky, we're discussing the possibility of a ramp, but her steps/stairs are in her enclosed front porch, so it would have to be an "L" shaped ramp or the pitch/slant would be too steep. It will probably happen in the future but right now we're letting her back heal and her heart test is next week, so we'll decide which direction to go after that gets done.

Annie
User
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
You can also freeze the bananas. In the peel or peeled and smushed (technical term) in container in the amount needed.

(((((((((((hugs)))))))))) to you both.
chloebud
7 years ago
Annie, by any chance have you ever tried Martha Stewart's Banana Bread? I think the sour cream in the batter really makes a difference.
annie1992
Original Author
7 years ago
chloebud, I haven't tried that one, but the recipe I use is from one of those old church cookbooks and it has sour cream in it. I also think it makes a difference, it's not dry at all, very moist and tender.

Sherry, I do have a container of bananas in the freezer. Of course it's one of those square plastic freezer boxes and every time it gets knocked around by something the darned lid comes off. One of these days I'll just pitch them, or I'll knock them out of the box and put it in a ziplock bag.

Annie
chloebud
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago
Annie, I bet it's very close to MS's recipe. Maybe she got hers from one of those old church cookbooks!
bbstx
7 years ago
The Kitchn is the first place I read about the banana ice cream “trick” that gardengal references. Here is an updated post with some tips and some add-ins. https://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-creamy-ice-cream-with-just-one-ingredient-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-93414
rob333 (zone 7b)
7 years ago
The advantage to freezing the banana, as suggested above, is the texture is such that it mixes more thoroughly in banana bread mixture. Seems like your mom is also petite and can handle eating loads of banana bread. Lucky her!

Banana Bread for Mother

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