Banana-Blueberry Bread

Wowza, a year....really?  I finally started getting back into blogging, pretty much on the regular. This poor blog was still left all alone, but I noticed that I was still getting pretty regular views from Pinterest.  Hey there pinners!  I figured I would start it back up and see what happens.

This past weekend I went to a craft show, got rained out, and left with a TON of free produce that the vendors didn't want to pack up.

What do you do with 6 bunches of organic bananas?  You make Banana Bread of course!  My boys inhaled a loaf of blueberry bread that I brought home from there as well, so I decided to throw some blueberries in there as well.

I made this recipe up and am rather proud of it.  It came out SO moist and, I think, beautiful.

 I don't think I could ask for a prettier loaf of bread.

 I love how you can see the bananas as well as the blueberries on the top.

 GORGEOUS!

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 ripe bananas, smashed (smash, but leave some lumps)
• 1/3 cup melted butter (I usually use unsalted, Eric bought salted.  I used that)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• pinch of salt, about 1/4 teaspoon or so
• 1/2 cup blueberries, fresh and rinsed (If you use frozen berries, thawed it would work as well.  You just run the risk of purple-ish bread)
• 1 1/2 cups bread flour (I grabbed this instead of all-purpose out of the pantry, you could use all purpose if that is what you have)

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat oven to 350F
2. Mix together mashed bananas and the melted butter.
3. Stir in the brown sugar, egg, and the vanilla.
4. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the banana mixture and mix in.
5. Stir in the rinsed blueberries.
6. CAREFULLY stir in the flour.  

(You don't want to over stir this.  If you do, you risk popping the blueberries as well as getting a hard loaf of bread.  You want to mix it JUST enough to include everything, but not so much to lose the chunks of blueberries and bananas.)
    
    7.  Butter and sugar a loaf pan.  Mine was 4x8.  It was a nonstick pan, but I didn't want 
         to risk anything. 
    8.  Pour batter into the pan.  The batter is THICK.  I had to use a rubber spatula to get
         it all in there.
    9.  Put the pan in the oven and set the timer for an hour.  Start checking around 50 
         minutes.  You want to cook it until you put a toothpick in the center and it comes
         out clean.
   10.  Once cooked, place the entire thing on a wire rack and let cook for 15 minutes.
   11.  After 15 minutes, remove from pan and try not to eat it all right then.

Enjoy!

Honey Whole Wheat Sandwich Bread (Bread Machine)

Finding a whole wheat sandwich bread recipe is a bit tricky.  Most are crazy dense and just blah.  I found this recipe, tweaked it a bit following other peoples recommendations and I think it is fabulous!  

For this recipe I used the whole wheat setting on my machine, 1 1/5 pound, and the medium crust setting.  The bread turned out wonderfully light and soft with a crusty crust, figure that!   

This is NOT a 100% whole wheat recipe.  It is 2/3 whole wheat and 1/3 bread flour.  But it is better than no whole wheat!   Feel free to play around with your whole wheat vs. bread flour ratio and let me know what you come up with.  I think this is wonderful though!  

Of course with this being a bread machine baked loaf it ends up being that odd rectangle shape.  Weird looking, but tastes great!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 1/8 cup WARM water
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons melted butter (I used salted)
• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 cup bread flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast (Made for a bread machine)

Directions:

1. Add ingredients into the bread machine as listed, or as your machine specifies.
2. Set machine with these choices:  Whole Wheat, 1 1/5 pound, medium crust.
3. Sit back and enjoy the smell while your bread is baking!

Tips:

• Your water needs to be around 110F.  Too hot will kill the yeast and too cold won't activate it.
• Make sure the salt is added in with the liquid ingredients.  
• Do NOT let the yeast touch the liquid ingredients or the salt.
• In the flour make  a small well and put the yeast in the well.  Do not let the liquid seep through.
• After the machine mixes the dough the first time, quickly open the machine and scrape the edges down.  The machine will go through another mixing cycle. 
• If there is remaining flour in the corners, it will end up being like that on the outside of your loaf and the corner will be a weird floury blob. <--Technical term.  :)

Grab a sharp serrated knife and slice in!  

Enjoy!

Garlic Breadsticks, Olive Garden style

According to my son, everything is cheesy.  As in, it has lots of cheese in it.  These have NO cheese, but they sure were cheesy!  Never question a five year old when he is eating something new.  Just nod and say YES.

We typically have homemade pizza night once a week.  Super easy and quick to make.  I was getting really run down and bored with pizza night, so I decided to spice it up a bit and add some garlic bread.  I skipped on over to Pinterest and found a fabulous recipe.  This is from the blog Full Bellies, Happy Kids.

After reading on their blog a bit, I found at that they are having to move their blog due to people stealing their posts and using them as theirs, pictures and all.

It is a shame that people would stoop so low.  That is why I always take my own pictures and give credit to where credit is due.  As I said in my original post, I find recipes, make them to suit my family, and occasionally fiddle around with them enough to be able to claim them as mine.

This would not be that time.  Totally copied it.  Hope you like it!

Ingredients for the breadsticks:

• 1 1/2 cups warm water (between 110 - 120 degrees F)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons yeast (one package active dry yeast)
• 4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt 

Ingredients for the topping:

• 1 stick of butter (1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer dissolve the sugar and the yeast in the water.  Cover with a towel and let sit for about 10 minutes.  Mixture will become frothy.
2. While waiting, in a separate bowl mix together the flour and salt.
3. After the yeast sat for 10 minutes, remove the towel and add the flour mixture.
4. Add the melted butter.
5. If you have one, attach your dough hook to the mixer and turn it on 2.  Let it mix everything together, about 20 seconds, then knead the dough on setting 2 for about 2 minutes.  Be careful not to over mix.
6. Spray a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray, I used two pans, and divide the dough into pieces.  I made 10 sticks.  I will probably make them a bit smaller next time.  I'll try for 12.  That way I won't feel as guilty eating as many as i did. (Only 2)

     7.   Roll into log form and cover with a towel. Let it rest in a warm place, about 85F
           for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Outside on my picnic table was perfect for this 
           tonight.
     8.  Preheat your oven to 400F.  Once warm, put these in for about 6 minutes.  
     9.  While baking, in your microwave melt a stick of butter (1/2 cup) with 2 teaspoons
           garlic powder and 1 teaspoon salt.  When the timer goes off, brush the rolls with 
          half the butter mixture.
    10.  Put the sticks back in the oven for about 6-9 more minutes.  Just keep an eye on 
          them.  When browned, remove from the oven and brush with the remaining butter
           mixture.

ENJOY!!

      

Banana Bread

Cleaning the kitchen counters this morning I was excited to find out my bananas were super ripe.  First thought that went through my head was WOO HOO!  Banana bread time.

Being addicted to Pinterest, I decided to see if I could find any interesting recipes.  I found one, then I changed a whole bunch of things.  So I can say that this recipe is made, by me!  An original!  Woot!

Now, this bread is moister then most.  So it does not have the hard crunchy top, but fabulous. 

I love honey.  I think using it gives the bread an interesting flavor.  If you are not a honey fan, or don't have any, you can substitute 2/3 cup sugar in its place.  This will probably also help with the lack of crunchy top.  Also I am guessing this is why the bread has a darker color to it.  This is not burned in the least bit, but just darker then a normal loaf.

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/2 cup honey, I used clover honey

2 extra large eggs lightly beaten, at room temperature

1 1/2 cup mashed very ripe banana, 2-3 depending on size

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon vinegar

 

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 305*F.   Lightly spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan with baking spray.
2. In one bowl mix the mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla, and vinegar.  Set aside.
3. In medium bowl whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Set aside.
4. In the bowl for a stand mixer beat together the butter and honey for about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add in the flour mixture.  I added this in three batches so my kitchen did not get covered.  Mix until combined.
6. Add the eggs and mix until fully combined.
7. Using a spoon stir in the banana mixture until just combined.  Do not over mix.
8. Pour into your prepared loaf pan.
9. Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!