The best banana bread!

Ok so this is called “the best banana bread”, because I believe it to be the best banana bread RECIPE that I have used. I haven’t gone through a whole lot but when I tried this, there was a definite difference to the texture, density and taste of the bread. It was more squidgy, very soft on the inside but crispier almost and harder on the outside – like an actual crust! And the banana pieces were still in chunky pieces which tasted lovely! There is the addition of a whole tablespoon of vanilla extract in this recipe which I think, and others who have commented, makes a difference in the taste.

I made these yesterday when I had friends over to enjoy cheese, crackers, banana bread and brownies (recipe coming soon). Had a lovely lovely time, playing table tennis and chatting till pretty late.

So this recipe is from Sophie Dahl’s cookbook “Voluptuous Delights”. A wonderful cookbook which is separated into seasons, sharing recipes that are more appropriate to cook depending on the season and also depending on the vegetables and fruits in season.

So this is the banana bread recipe which above all, is ridiculously simple!

Ingredient list –

75g soft butter (plus a little extra to grease the tin)

4 ripe bananas (I usually just use however many I have, have used 2, 3 and 4 in this recipe and it hardly changed anything!)

200g brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon of vanilla extract

1 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda/baking powder

1 pinch of salt

170g of flour

Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/Gas 4. Grease a 23x13x6cm/9x5x3 inch bread tin.

Mash the bananas in a bowl and put to one side.

Mix the butter, sugar, egg, vanilla extract in one big mixing bowl. Add the mashed bananas and mix.

Add the bicarbonate/baking powder and salt and then mix in the flour last. Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 1 hour.

So, so simple! And perfect to enjoy with a warm cup of tea, on a rainy day curled up on the sofa.