Bananarama

I have got to stop buying bananas at Costco.  There's just no way we're going to eat our way through a dozen bananas before they start developing those dark freckles that say "you should have paid more attention to me when I was young and firm."  But unlike all of us over 50 gals, bananas don't get better with age.  We do.

Did I just compare myself, and my entire demographic, with old bananas?

Moving on.

But here's the thing.  My husband would beg to differ, but at heart, I am a thrifty gal.  I hate throwing food out.  In fact, half my time in the kitchen is spent figuring out what to do with old zucchini and other past their prime ingredients.  Bananas are always on the list of old food and as such, I am always in the market for another banana recipe.

My friend Deborah and I were discussing banana bread the other day.  She must buy her bananas at Costco too, because she had far too many banana bread recipes in her arsenal.  Some we love and some not so much.  But we are both always on the lookout.

Lo and behold, what should appear in my email on that very day, but this recipe for Crackly Banana Bread from Smitten Kitchen.  As an added bonus, I actually had millet in the house.  Millet?  I can't even remember why I bought millet in the first place, but I must have had a sense that it would come in handy at some point.

I toasted the millet before I threw it into the batter because I think everything tastes better toasted.  I used whole wheat flour, as recommended, but think this quick bread would be delicious with a little rye flour thrown in.  Next time I have bananas hanging around, I'm going to give the rye variation a try.

It'll probably be next week.


Recipe:  Crackly Banana Bread
(Smitten Kitchen, 2012)

*  Note:  I toasted the millet in a dry pan over medium heat.

Ingredients:

3 large ripe-to-over-ripe bananas
1 large egg
1/3 cup (80 ml) virgin coconut oil, warmed until it liquefies, or olive oil
1/3 cup (65 grams) light brown sugar
1/4 to 1/3 cup (60 to 80 ml) maple syrup (less for less sweetness, of course)
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 teaspoon (5 grams) baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
Salt
1 1/2 cups (180 grams) white whole-wheat flour (or flour mixture of your choice, see Note up top)
1/4 cup (50 grams) uncooked millet

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350°F and butter a 9×5-inch loaf pan. In the bottom of a large bowl, mash bananas with a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon until virtually smooth but a few tiny lumps remain. Whisk in egg, then oil, brown sugar, syrup and vanilla extract. Sprinkle baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves over mixture and stir until combined. Stir in flour until just combined, then millet.

Pour mixture into prepared pan and bake until a tester comes out clean, about 40 to 50 minutes. Cool loaf in pan on rack.