Banana Bread

I have a weird relationship with bananas. I like to eat them when they're still green, just past the starchy stage, so that they're nice and tart. Once they start ripening and turn sweet, I can't eat them. The aroma of ripening bananas turn my stomach.

And yet, I love bananas baked in goods, so I allow the bananas to overripe and become super sweet. I then freeze them for future baking projects or add them mashed to a warm bowl of oats.

I realize that I have a really small opening to eat a banana as is. But think of all the banana breads I can make!

I've tried different banana bread recipes and this is one of my favourites. The dried, shredded coconut absorbs some of the moisture so that it lightens up the bread (as some banana breads can be rather dense), but it's still nice and moist.

Banana Bread
Barely adapted from Mark Bittman

1/2 cup (8 tablespoons or 1 stick) butter, softened, plus some for greasing the pan
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork until smooth
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1/2 cup grated dried unsweetened coconut

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter and line with parchment paper.

Mix together the dry ingredients. With a hand mixer, a whisk, or in the food processor, cream the butter and sugar; beat in the eggs, bananas and vanilla. Stir dry ingredients into the wet mixture, just enough to combine (it’s okay if there are lumps). Gently stir in the nuts and coconut.

Pour the batter into the loaf pan and bake for 45 to 60 minutes or until nicely browned. A toothpick inserted into the centre of the bread will come out fairly clean when done, but because of the bananas this bread will remain moister than most. Do not overcook. Cool on a rack for 15 minutes before removing from the pan.