Tips For Enjoying Banana Bread

Inviting some friends over for a Sunday brunch can be relaxing and entertaining experience. Brunch itself is famous for being one of the easiest meals to prepare when entertaining. The best thing about it actually is that there are so many different recipes that give you the chance to prepare brunch in advance so that you can enjoy the time when your guests arrive. As it is very easy to make and exists in many variation, banana bread seems to always be a favorite addition to any brunch.

It is in fact so easy to make banana bread that you can even use your children to help you with it. You can get them to peel and mash the bananas. Then just let them mix the ingredients with their little hands. All the ingredients are soft enough you can leave the mixer standing in its place while the kids are having fun. Another good thing about it is that it’s easy to clean up after making banana bread as the majority of are for one bowl mixtures.

An easy and tasty variation of banana bread is made by adding chocolate chips into the batter. Chocolate taste blends well with bananas and the chips themselves hold their shape in the bread. The only thing you have to remember is to put the chocolate chips just before pouring the mixture into the pans. Adding some chopped walnuts is also a good idea, although it is a bit risky, because in case you decide to go for it you’ll have to be absolutely sure that none of your guests is having a nut allergy.

In case you are pressed by the time you can always make banana bread in the bread machine, just follow the instructions and add the products in the same order as they are listed. And if you feel bored and want to make it a bit different you can use the muffin tins for the mixture and bake some banana muffins. There are banana bread recipes that are good even for people strictly watching their fat intake. The result is still moist and tasty banana bread with reduced fat.

You can also use overripe bananas in these recipes and what’s more we often get them cheaper, don’t we? Of course we can freeze some too. Freezing bananas is easy – just peel and mash the amount you need, then put in a plastic bag or an air-tight container and straight into the freezer. Next time you are making banana bread just take the frozen bananas out and put them in the mixture.

Another thing you would like to know is that prepared banana bread freezes well also, so when you are next making a loaf, just make some more, pack it tight and freeze it. Afterwards you can use it anytime you decide. It makes a great hostess present to take along when you're invited to somebody’s house. So next time you are out for groceries, get some extra bananas and try preparing a loaf or two of banana bread – it’s easy to make and most people enjoy it. What’s more it’s also easy to have on hand, as it freezes well.

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning food and drink. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting Banana Bread

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Recipe For Moist Banana Bread

What do you do with bananas that are going ripe more quickly than your family can eat them? Make Banana Bread! It's great as a after school snack, lazy winter morning breakfast or dessert with your favorite meal. It's a comfort food that no one willingly passes up. It's pleasant fruity aromas filled the house and bring every one to the kitchen asking, is it done yet? Enjoy it warm, cold or even toasted.

Banana bread first made it's way in to cookbooks in the 1930's. Shopkeepers and grocers would have recipes available for shoppers when they had too ripe fruit on their shelved to try to make a sale for the product before it hit the trash bin. With the resurgence of home baking in the 1960's it regained the popularity it once had. Unlike some other recipes it was straight forward and required very little skill to create.

Banana bread is a popular gift giving item during the holidays, making it's way onto many platters for family, friends and neighbors.

The following recipe will make the moistest Banana Bread you have ever tasted. It's easy and takes no special ingredients. For best results use very ripe bananas. Be sure there are brown spots all over the peels and mash them well.

Ingredients:

1- 1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas, about 3-4 bananas
1/2 cup melted butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare greased 9 x 5 x 3 bread pan.

2. In a bowl, combined mashed bananas, butter, sugar and 1/4 cup milk. Mix to combine.

3. In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add in the banana mixture. Beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Add eggs, vanilla extract and 1/4 cup milk. Beat for about 1 minute on medium speed.

4. Pour batter evenly into the greased pan. Place pan in oven on the middle rack. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until toothpick or knife inserted in the middle of the bread comes out completely clean.

5. Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and let cool completely on wire rack.

For this recipe you can also use a 9 x 13 cake pan.

To add a different flavor use raisins or add pecan or walnuts. For the chocoholic try adding chocolate chips. Top with powder sugar or a cream cheese frosting.

If you have ripe bananas but have no time for baking, they can be frozen in a brown paper bag.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about moist banana bread recipes, please visit Dessert Recipes Site for current articles and discussions.

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Good Eats, Parrot Owner Edition Part 3

In this installment of Good Eats, we are going to focus on a timeless classic - birdie bread. Recipes for various sorts of bread to be served in different forms (normally in muffins form for ease of cooking) are a favorite among bird owners. Easy to make, easy to store, and even easier to serve, birdie bread takes away the stress of constant cooking for your companion. Here are some quick and easy birdie bread recipes.

Strawberry Pellet Bread

3 cups pulverized pellets (food processor is great for this)
1 cup of strawberry yogurt
1 cup of strawberry jam
1 cup of honey
2 eggs
1 package Bisquick biscuit mix
Mix well. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

This recipe is simply titled A Great Birdie Bread, and we agree.

2 C cockatiel crumbles (or larger depending on the size of your bird)
1 banana
1/3 C wheat germ oil*
6 eggs--with shell
3T pumpkin, yams or squash
1/3 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 T applesauce or 1/2 apple
1 C thawed frozen mixed vegetables
1 C cooked dry beans
1 C cooked brown rice
2 C corn meal
4 T baking powder
Food process first 8 ingredients. Add beans & rice and blend til pulverized. Add to cornmeal and baking powder. Mix well. Add water if too thick. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes til done.

*You can find wheat germ oil (for horses) at most feed stores. Freeze the stuff crumbled, zap about 1 T. per bird per day.

Pineapple Carrot Bread

3 cups flour
2 cups sugar (can use less)
1 t. baking soda
1 t. cinnamon
3 eggs
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup vegetable oil (or 1 c. applesauce)
1 can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon. In another bowl, beat eggs, add carrots, oil, pineapple, nuts & vanilla. Stir moist ingredients into dry ingredients, mixing just until moistened. Spoon into 2 greased & floured loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 65-75 minutes or until loaves test done. Cool 10 minutes in pans before removing to wire racks. Makes 6 mini loaves.

Breeders Best

1 cup yellow corn meal
1 cup whole wheat flour 1 cup Miller's bran
1 cup soy bean meal
1/2 cup brewers yeast (nutritional, not bread raising kind) 1 cup raw wheat germ
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup baking powder
1 cup parrot pellets (We use Pretty Bird, small size)
1 cup Petamine
1/2 cup wheat germ oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 dozen eggs, with shells, ground up (use blender) 1 cup chopped spinach
2 cups shredded carrots
2 apples, shredded
2 bananas, mashed
1/2 cup honey
2-3 cups milk or enough to make a heavy batter
Mix up everything in a huge bowl. Use your blender for the eggs and apples and bananas.
Bake in foil lined pans sprayed with pam. 400 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. Cool in pans, cut in 3x4 squares, store squares in freezer. Defrost as needed. Give each bird a small piece daily in addition to regular seed mix.

We hope this was enough information to get the ball rolling. Once you've had a practice run with a couple types of different breads, let your imagination take over and see what you can create. I guarantee your birds will like it. Birdie bread is an easy way to sneak healthy foods into your birds diet, especially if you have a picky eater. These recipes don't have to be made in 'bread' form, either. Traditional form, that is. For ease of serving, consider spooning out these recipes in cupcake or muffin form, which will allow you portion control and easier storage then actual bread slices.

Emily is very active in the avian community participating in numerous websites and online communities for parrot owners. Emily is also a moderator at http://www.BirdBoard.com She is head writer for http://www.BirdToys.com and online shopping portal for fun and unique bird toys, bird food, cages, and supplies.

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How to Bake Quick Bread - Apricot-Orange Nut

We love moist, fruity quick breads--and this is one of our favorites. It's nutty, flavorful, and full of wholesome ingredients. We would like to share this recipe with you and demonstrate the baking principles for wonderful quick breads.

The definition of quick breads is imprecise. Often cookbooks classify muffins, coffeecakes, and biscuits as quick breads--not just those moist loaf breads made without yeast--breads like banana nut bread and date nut bread. And there is a thin line between quick breads and cakes. Quick breads contain less sugar and fat than cakes. They usually, but not always, contain fruits or nuts to add flavor and moisture and make up for the low percentage of fat and sugar. When we refer to quick breads, we're talking about loaf-shaped breads without yeast.

There are two major makeup methods for quick breads--the muffin method and the creaming method. In the creaming method, we cream the fat (butter or shortening) with the sugar until light and then add the other ingredients. In the muffin method, we mix the liquids and the dry ingredients separately and then stir them together until just combined. Today, we will look at the muffin method.

In preparation, grease an 81/2-by 41/2-inch loaf pan. Dust the pan lightly with flour by placing a spoonful in the greased pan and jostling it about by tapping the pan against the heel of your hand. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees with the rack placed in the center of the oven. Your pan should have an even coating as shown.

Here are the ingredients that we will use in our liquid mix:

3/4 cups very hot water

3 tablespoons butter

3/4 cup (5 ounces) diced dried apricots

1 tablespoon orange zest

3/4 cup orange juice

1 large egg

1. Heat the water until very hot, nearly boiling. You can do so in the microwave. Pour the water into a large bowl. The bowl should be large enough to mix the batter in.

2. Add the butter.

3. Dice the apricots into 1/4-inch pieces and add them to the hot water.

4. Grate the outer skin from an orange until you have a tablespoon full. You only want to get the orange peel without scraping deep enough to get the pithy white second layer, which is bitter. Add this zest to the hot water mixture.

5. Squeeze the juice from two oranges. Add 3/4-cup of the juice to the liquid mixture.

6. Stir in one large egg. Use a fork to mix the egg well.

In another bowl, mix the dry ingredients together:

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups oatmeal

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1/2 tablespoon baking powder

3/4 cup walnuts

Make sure that they are thoroughly mixed. We like to use a large whisk.

7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir with a large spatula until just combined. If it is mixed too much, the action will develop the gluten in the flour and the bread will not be as tender as it should be. (We don't like to make muffins and quick breads with our electric mixer.)

8. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and place it in the oven. Bake the bread for 40 to 45 minutes or until the bread tests done. When it is done, a skewer or large toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf should come out clean.

9. Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Invert the pan and remove the loaf to finish cooling on the wire rack. If the bread does not come free easily, the top edges of the loaf are probably bound to the pan. Try lifting the edges away from the pan with a sharp knife.

Store the bread in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to a week. This bread, like most quick breads, is much better served the next day. The bread can also be frozen.

Peach Variation. This bread is just as good with dried peaches instead of apricots.

Dennis Weaver is the author of "How to Bake", a free 250-page e-book. Which is free at The Prepared Pantry. The Prepared Pantry sells bread mixes and other baking mixes and offers a free Bread Center with recipes and techniques.

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I Love the Smell of Fresh Bread - It's Even Easier With Your Own Bread Maker

I'm hopeless in the kitchen, I make my spouse do pretty much all the cooking. He enjoys it, I don't. Simple as that. The problem is we both love the smell and taste of fresh bread. Doing everything by hand is just too time consuming in today's world, so technology came up with a solution. The bread maker.

Once you fall in love with a bread maker of your own, you may use more ingredients and yeast than expected. Bread makers allow you to make an infinite variety of breads, from ordinary whole-wheat to date-walnut and banana-oatmeal with extreme convenience. You can also use a bread making machine to make cakes and even pizza dough (that's one of our personal favorites).

It's not really cheating, it's actually good sense to make good use of your time. There are so many other things you can be doing while the machine is kneading the bread. That's the benefit of living in this modern century, we don't have to slave over everything like our ancestors did.

Another fun thing about these machines is the ability they give you to instantly try a different kind of bread. I had no idea that Hawaiian sweet bread was so good, you just can't buy it in any old grocery store. But you can buy the mix for it so we tried it. Amazing! Sams Club is where we get our variety of mixes, they're vast, wonderfully tasting and provide a nice complement to any meal.

In all, I would highly recommend one of these either as a gift or for yourself. They run about $150-$200 for a decent one, although much more expensive ones are available. Do a little research and read some reviews to find the best one for you.

For more information on two popular brands including the Zojirushi bread maker and the Panasonic bread maker please visit our website.

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All About Baking - Quick Breads

The Versatile Quick Bread

It's no wonder quick breads are so popular. They are easy, fast-as the name implies, nearly foolproof, versatile, and oh, so good. We commonly know them as sweetened loaves with fruit or nuts, somewhere between yeast breads and cakes in texture and sweetness. They are leavened with baking powder and baking soda. Banana bread and date nut bread are typical though some books list recipes for savory varieties.

Quick breads have less sugar and less fat than cakes. The nuts often found in quick breads add to the fat content. The fruit adds to the moisture as well as the flavor. Because quick breads tend to be drier than cakes, they are often spread with butter, cream cheese, or jam. Peanut butter is one of our favorite toppings.

Quick breads tend to be more dense and moist than muffins though the batter for quick breads can be baked in muffin tins. Generally, muffin batter is thinner than quick bread batter.

Quick breads are wonderfully versatile, appropriate whenever the richness of a cake is undesirable. They are often served at breakfast and brunch, for snacks, and they finish a meal well in place of a sweeter dessert. When used for a dessert, they can be topped with ice cream or a syrup. Slices can be toasted or dipped in eggs and made as French toast. They make great sandwiches-though a bit fragile unless "stuck" together with cream cheese or peanut butter. Try a fruit filled quick bread topped with shavings of ham or turkey.

How to Bake Quick Bread

There are two methods for mixing quick breads: the creaming method and the muffin method. With the creaming method, sugar and fat (butter, margarine, or shortening) are beat together to entrain air in the mixture and provide added lift to the batter. With the muffin method, the liquids are combined in one bowl, the dry ingredients in another, and then the two are mixed together. The creaming method tends to make a more cake-like bread. The steps for each method follow.

The Creaming Method

1. Place softened butter, margarine, or shortening in a bowl. Add the sugars, spices, and salt and beat until light and fluffy and air is entrained throughout the mixture. (Do not let the butter or margarine get warm enough that it approaches the melting point. Friction from the mixing, especially with an electric mixer, will increase the temperature.)

2. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition.

3. Add any liquid ingredients and stir lightly.

4. Stir or whisk the remaining dry ingredients together. Add them to the mixture and stir until just combined.

5. Remove to the baking pan(s) and bake.

The Muffin Method

1. Sift or whisk the dry ingredients together to thoroughly disperse the salt, sugar, and leavenings throughout the flour.

2. Combine all the liquid ingredients including the melted fat.

3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and add the liquid ingredients. Mix with a spatula until just combined-some lumps may remain.

4. Remove to the baking pan(s) and bake.

Pointers for Success

1. Do not over mix. Over mixing will develop the gluten and make the bread tough instead of tender.

2. Choose low gluten flour, either pastry or all-purpose flour. Bread flour will make a tough loaf.

3. Do not scoop the flour. Sift or whisk the flour to make it light and fluffy, not packed, then spoon it into the measuring cup.

4. The creaming method produces a more cake-like product and is well-suited for those recipes that have a high fat or sugar content. Consider the creaming method for those recipes that call for more than four tablespoons of butter per loaf.

5. Bake soon after mixing before the effect of the leavenings begin to dissipate.

6. If you use dry milk in your recipe, add it to liquid ingredients so that it can be stirred and thoroughly dissolved.

7. Commercial muffins tend to be very high in fat and sugar-more like a tea cake than a bread. Your quick bread should be more bread-like and not as rich as commercial muffins.

8. Grease pans well and consider dusting the pans with flour as well. (If you use butter, always dust your pans to absorb the water in the butter.) With the high sugar content, the loaves tend to stick in the pans. Non-stick pans are helpful.

9. Breads are easier to remove from the pan if they set for five or ten minutes before removing the bread.

10. Test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into a crack in the center of the loaf. If the bread is done, the toothpick should come out clean.

11. Quick breads are best if they are tightly wrapped and stored in the refrigerator overnight. After the bread has completely cooled, wrap it tightly in plastic or foil. As the bread chills, both the flavor and the moisture permeate the bread. The bread can be stored in the refrigerator for five to seven days.

12. Quick breads can also be frozen. Place the wrapped breads in freezer-grade plastic bags and freeze them for up to three months. When ready to use, thaw the loaves in the refrigerator while still wrapped.

Troubleshooting Tips

1. Cracked top: A cracked top is desirable and not a fault.

2. Tunnels and voids: Tunnels and voids in the bread are a symptom of over mixing. Mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Some lumps may remain.

3. Tough texture: A tough texture instead of a tender texture is another symptom of over mixing. Occasionally, too high of baking temperature will cause toughness.

4. Soggy texture: If the batter is left for too long before baking, it may be soggy or sunk in the middle. If the there is too much liquid or not enough leavening, the bread may be soggy.

5. Coarse, crumbly texture: The bread should be moist and dense. Too much fat or too much leavening will cause the bread to be crumbly.

6. Bitter, soapy aftertaste: Too much baking soda or baking powder will create an aftertaste.

7. Too thick or too brown of a crust: A tough thick crust may be caused by too high of oven temperature or too much sugar.

8. Greasy crumb: Too much fat will create a greasy texture.

9. Crisp edges: Too much fat or too much fat and sugar will create crisp edges.

Dennis Weaver is the author of "How to Bake", a free 250-page e-book. Which is free at The Prepared Pantry The Prepared Pantry sells bread mixes and other baking mixes and offers a free Bread Center with recipes and techniques.

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