Banana bread is always a big hit. Any time, day or night, it’s just right; it fills the void and keeps the crankshaft spinnin’ when the wearies are about to take over.
Here’s Bert Bender’s recipe for an Ishmael favorite – a one-pan batch of banana bread. Part of the appeal is that it reduces dish-washing, because you can mix it all in the same pan you bake it in (if you choose a pan that is a little larger than the volume of ingredients, and if your oven is large enough). But of course, you can always mix it in a larger bowl and transfer the mixture into a loaf pan for baking.
- Mash 4 large bananas
- Mix in 1-3/4 cups of pancake/baking mix (Bert now uses Trader Joe’s multigrain mix)
- 3/4 cup old fashioned oats (or a combination of old fashioned oats, wheat or oat bran, wheat germ)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup of chopped nuts
- 1/2+ cup of dried cranberries or other chopped dried fruit
- 1/3 cup canola oil (or other vegtable oil)
- bake at 350° for 60 minutes
Bert recommends making a double batch of the batter and freezing half for future use.
However, if you can handle going first-class……buy Bert’s book: Catching the Ebb: Drift-Fishing for a Life in Cook Inlet and read it while feasting on his banana bread. Literary cusine par excellence!
….Velkommen Variation….
All these ingredients have multiple uses, a big consideration on a boat with limited storage. Krusteaz for pancakes or biscuits. Oats for oatmeal or cookies. Nuts to go atop oatmeal, ice cream, salads and the same goes for dried fruits; perhaps some almonds sprinkled over baked cod or halibut. And everyone knows a carton of baking soda keeps evils odors away from the refrigerator. Of course, the uses for Bourbon are legendary.
Ingredients:
1.) 3/4 cup shelled walnuts
2.) 3/4 cup shelled pecans
3.) 3/4 cup dried cherries, cranberries or craisins
4.) 1-3/4 cup pancake or baking mix
5.) 3/4 cup oats
6.) 3/4 cup Wax Orchards Fruit Sweet (If you aren’t already using this product, it’s time to start. Sugar is ancient history.)
7.) 1/3 cup canola oil or melted butter, if you prefer
8.) 2 eggs
9.) 1 tsp vanilla
10.) 1 tsp cinnamon
11.) 1 tsp baking soda
12.) 1 tsp baking powder
13.) 1/2 cup sliced almonds
14.) 3 very ripe bananas
15.) (optional) 1 Tbs bourbon…..and maybe several for the chef
First……roast the walnuts and pecans…..
1.) Dump 3/4 cup of walnuts and 3/4 cup of pecans on a plate and microwave for one minute.
2.) Mix them all up and microwave for one more minute.
3.) Lightly chop the nuts into bits about the size of a raisin
4.) Add the cranberries to this nutty mix and set aside.
Then……preheat the oven to 350°
5.) Throw the remaining ingredients in a big bowl. (Yes, that includes the sliced almonds, too…they don’t get the roasting treatment.)
6.) Mix well with a stick blender until you have a light brown goo.
7.) Add the roasted and chopped walnuts and pecans plus the cherries/cranberries/craisins to the mix.
8.) Still well with a big spoon.
9.) Pour the final mixture into a greased or non-stick loaf pan.
10.) Bake at 350° for 55 minutes.
Finally……let cool a bit and enjoy………Mmmm, warm with a bit of butter…..heavenly.
Now you can mix everything in the loaf pan, but a high sided bowl is more user friendly. If you choose the one pan method, a light touch is required with the stick blender to keep all the ingredients in the pan. A good stick blender like the Viking is more than handy; it’s indispensable. Norpro makes some nice nonstick pans and they are local, too. My particular favorite is the Norpro nonstick meatloaf/bread pan. It’s exceptional for meatloaf and bakes a fine banana bread, too.
