One day I was on Instagram. It was I think New year’s Eve. I asked when I had posted a picture of a post I had done then and asked, what should I try to make in the new year of 2018. I also said I am very open for requests on which should I tackle. One of the ladies who is from Turkey requested that I make banana bread. So This recipe is by request. First preheat the oven to 375F or 190C.
I ate banana bread a lot when I was a kid and it is a real treat. I just turned Mr. Riaz on to it and he really loves it and has it with his tea in the morning for breakfast. I added the dry ingredients first. I added to a large mixing bowl 2 cups of all purpose unbleached flour which I had sifted to make the flour lighter. To this I added 2 tsps of baking powder, 1 handful of nido which is a brand of powdered milk that is made by Nestle. I added 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar. the same amounts of agave nectar, honey or maple syrup can also be used.
I added 1 small piece of cinnamon stick, 1 strand of mace in to a mortar and pestle and ground it in to a powder. I added this to the flour mixture then I added1 pinch of pink salt, 1 drop of vanilla ess which is alcohol free. Add 4 bananas after you mash them. I used my mortar and pestle and kept mashing until it was smooth then added it to flour mix. You can buy it from any Indian and pakistani grocery store. I added 1 drop of grape seed oil in to the flour mixture. Almond or coconut oils can also be used. Carefully add 1 cup of water and stir until you have a lump free batter.
If you wish you can also use an electic mixer at this point after the batter itself is made. However there are optionals here I used 1 handful of cocoa nibs that are unsweetened that I bought last month. Cermac had them and that is where I got mine from. Also the same amount of shredded or desuccated coconut and various nuts can be used in its place if you wish. They are walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, pistachios, hazel nuts, pine nuts, macadamias and peanuts which can be crushed. Also whole sunflower seeds that have been shelled and unsalted. They can be bought this way too.
Fold in to the batter until it is well mixed. take a cast iron skillet or other baking dish lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Be sure to bake for 20 minutes. If it isn’t done at this stage, bake another 20 minutes or until done. You test by sticking a fork or toothpick in the center and if it comes out clean then it is done.
Optionally this same batter can also be made in to waffles. All you have to do is to spray the waffle iron with cooking spray and spoon in the hot waffle iron tablespoonfulls at a time. Close waffle iron and cook until golden and it stops steaming.
For pancakes, spray cast iron skillet with cooking spray after it gets hot, add by tablespoons and wait until it bubbles on top and starts to dry then you flip and cook on other side until it is brown.
For muffins simply take a muffin tin and place liners in there and fill them up with the same batter and bake at the same temp for 20 minutes or until done.
If you want you can use a dollop of whipped cream. Enjoy this with any hot beverage of choice.
