Banana Bread

Recipe courtesy: Joy of baking.

I have tried this a couple of times and everytime I am happy with its results.I have blindly followed the recipe without any modifications other than the addition of some chocolate chips to it.This is one perfect tea time bread and is very easy to prepare.We just loved the aroma of banana in it and the combination of banana and walnuts is incredible.I like to cut it into thick slices and the bread a little bit and have it with a cup of tea either as morning breakfast or evening snack.Try it and I am sure even you will say the same thing.I even tried the banana bread - eggless version which is equally amazing and I will try posting it some time later.

Ingredients:

1+3/4 cup(245 gms) All Purpose flour
3/4 cup(150 gms) White sugar
2 large eggs,at room temperature
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (113 gms) Unsalted butter
3 large ripen banana's
1 tsp vanilla essence
1 cup walnuts,chopped

Method:

• Grease a Loaf pan( 9 x 5 x 3) with butter and dust it with flour evenly or place a butter paper in the pan.
• Preheat the Oven to 180 deg for 10 mins.
• Slightly toast the walnuts in oven or on stove top and chop them into small pieces.
• Melt butter and let it cool to the room temperature.
• Beat the eggs with a hand whisker slightly until it is done.
• Sift together flour,baking powder and baking soda twice to let them mix uniformly.
• Grind sugar to a fine powder.
• Mash the Banana with hands until all the lumps are removed.Add in sugar powder and mix properly.
• Now add beaten eggs,vanilla essence and cooled butter to the banana mixture and mix until everything is mixed properly.
• Add all the dry ingredients(Flour mixture,salt and cinnamon powder) to the wet ingredients(banana mixture) and gently fold using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and mix until the batter is thick and chunky.(Do not over do the process of mixing as that yields in a rubbery bread).
• Slightly coat the walnuts and choco chios with 1/2 tsp of flour and add to the batter and fold in roughly.
  
• Gently scrape the batter into the greased loaf pan and place it in the oven and bake at 180 deg for 45-50 mins or bake until the crust is brown and tooth pick should come out clean when inserted.
• Cool it on the wire rack and slice it and serve.

Note:

1. As I did not have enough walnuts at that time I added 1/2 cup of walnuts and 1/2 cup of chocolate chips instead of 1 cup walnuts.
2. You can even add other dry fruits like raisins,pecans,etc.
3. You can even add 2-3 tsp of cocoa powder to the batter to get the chocolate flavor of banana bread.

Serving Suggestions:

1. Toast the banana bread slice and serve it warm with tea.
2. Apply peanut butter to the toasted slice of banana bread and serve.
3. Serve it slightly warm(by keeping it in microwave for few seconds) with vanilla icecream.
4. Serve it at the room temperature.