From my Kitchen to Yours...

Procrastinators Unite! Banana Bread with Blueberries

            Ahh, I’ve learned procrastination really only pays off with bananas for making quick breads.  This recipe has versatility to be inventive with ingredients as the sour cream really enhances the moistness and the coffee powder offers a depth of flavor of all the ingredients rather than an actual coffee overtone.  If you want to use frozen instead of fresh blueberries, you need to thaw and drain them, but the “marble” effect they create can be quite a pretty enhancement. 

Now if you prefer a pumpkin bread, applesauce or the shredded friends like zucchini or carrot, these are all possibilities instead of the mashed banana.  One day when I had over ripe bananas and some leftover drained crushed pineapple, I put that together with some toasted coconut and had quite a lovely treat.  Chopped nuts can be added in the 1/2 - 1 cup range also, but I recommend toasting raw nuts before adding to the mix to bring out their flavor.  Some days, a muffin would be better than a loaf, don’t you think?  Check out this website: www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html for conversions of pan types and cooking times.  By the way, if you need over ripe bananas and can’t wait, check with your produce person at the grocery, they often have some in the back.

Sour Cream Banana Bread with Blueberries:

1/2 C butter, softened

1 C sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup mashed banana (about 2 large over ripe)

1/2 sour cream or yogurt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Optional:  1 tsp coffee powder such as Medaglia D’Oro instant espresso coffee

1/2 - 1 Cup fresh blueberries rinsed and dried

Method:

Heat oven to 350˚ F.  Use Pam Baking spray or grease and flour your loaf pan (9” x 5” or 8 ½” x 4 ½”)-

Cream the butter and sugar together. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Put the dry ingredients of flour, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and stir. Put the mashed banana, sour cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and coffee powder if using together in a bowl and mix together. Alternate stirring portions of the dry ingredients then sour cream into creamed butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir until well incorporated but do not over mix. Stir in blueberries last.

Place mixture in greased loaf pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Test with toothpick in center for doneness.  Remove from oven, let cool 10 minutes, release from pan to cool on a rack the rest of the way.  Loaf can be frozen for later use after fully cooled.

            While I’m waiting for my bread to cool a bit more, I’m going to read up on planting some herbs for my kitchen and deck and see what that inspires.

By, Maggie Rollings