Monday Is National Banana Bread Day
So says Laura here. I didn't know of such a thing.

Baked the banana/pumpkin bread again today, using the standard recipe, slightly revised.

Here it is again, how I made it today. I even have a name:

PUMPKIN PIE BREAD

DO NOT PREHEAT OVEN!

1/2 can of pumpkin pulp
2 mashed bananas
2 eggs

Beat all these together until smooth. Add:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 (or less) tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda

Mix it in good. Add:

2 cups of whole wheat flour.

Beat until smooth, but don't over beat it.

Turn on the oven NOW, set to 350 degrees. Stir in:

1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup of the mulberries you picked last summer and froze

(Obviously, the last ingredient is dependent on your wise planning. If you had instead lazed around in the sun, you can leave it out or substitute raisins.)

Pour into buttered pan, bake for about an hour, maybe a bit more depending on the size of pan, temperature of ingredients, etc. The last time I baked this I turned the oven up to 375 for the last 10 minutes, and I wish I had this time too.

This makes a very very moist batter. The first time I made it, everything was room temperature, and it still took a bit more than an hour at 350. This last time, I think there was more batter (bananas were bigger), and the pumpkin was the other half of the can that had been stored in the fridge. And the mulberries were still frozen.

Since it smelled heavenly and I made it early this am and I was hungry, I took it out a little too soon -- was very moist, though it has since firmed up -- the first slice (I couldn't wait) was a bit like a firm pumpkin pie pudding, wonderful, but hard to slice.

Needless to say, this is an extremely healthy bread, with an enormous amount of Vitamin A, one of those vitamins you probably shouldn't overdo, so be aware.

If you don't have cloves, nutmeg will do fine. My little jar of ground cloves has to be 20 years old and probably came from my mother's house, but it was still potent. I thought I had a tin of something called "pumpkin pie spice," but I may have been mistaken, or my old boyfriend stole it (along with my Led Zeppelin record).

Instead of a half can of pumpkin, the next time I bake I may use 1/3 can and see what happens. Maybe add a half of an apple too.

It is relaxing on the shelf right now, ready to be eaten tomorrow. Banana bread is always better the next day, assuming it makes it that far.

So maybe Tuesday should be declared National Banana Bread Leftover Day, and become a national (rather than industry-sponsored) holiday.

Labels: cooking

- posted by Cynthia @ 9:49 PM | | | Link |