Best banana bread recipe. Moist banana loaf cake with poppy seeds and walnuts.
Banana bread, just the thought of it makes my mouth watering. The beautiful smell rising from the oven is enough to make me start to drool. This banana bread recipe is enriched with walnuts and poppy seeds for texture and flavour making it one of my favourite breakfast bakes. When I lived in Australia I went though a period of having nothing but banana bread for breakfast. Every day I would go to the cafe in the train station and get myself a toasted banana bread, this lasted for at least a year and at least half a stone. But that banana bread was oh so worth it.
I do love banana bread for breakfast, its so easy to slice and pop in a baggie. Its perfect for a breakfast on the go or even toasted and spread with butter for an at home breakfast. The addition of nuts for protein (that’s what I like to tell myself) gives me the excuse to have this more often as its practically good for me. This moist and flavourful banana bread recipe is the perfect make ahead quick breakfast that all the family will love.
Tip- for this recipe you want to use really ripe bananas preferably bananas that are on the verge of being inedible. You can mash them up with a fork nice and easily so this is the perfect way to use up any bananas that have been left for too long. If you always have the odd one left that has gone brown you can mash it up and pop it in a freezer bag for use later and when you have four you can get baking!
Banana Bread
Moist banana bread with walnuts and poppy seeds
Ingredients
- 285 g plain flour
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 110 g butter room temperature
- 225 g caster sugar
- 2 eggs
- 4 ripe bananas mashed
- 85 ml buttermilk
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 50 g chopped walnuts
- 50 g poppy seeds
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C, spray a 2lb loaf tin with non stick cooking spray and line with baking paper.
- Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt into a large mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, using a stand alone mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time until combined then add the mashed bananas, buttermilk and vanilla extract and mix well.
- Fold in the flour mixture then transfer the batter to the loaf tin.
- Transfer to the oven and bake for 50 – 60 minutes or until golden and a skewer comes out clean when inserted into the middle.
- Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
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So there you have it, my best banana bread recipe. Don’t forget to show me your bakes by tagging @whatseatingmanchester in your social media post.
For more recipe inspiration check out my blog and pintrest.
Sarah
How to make French meringue. The key ingredient to many recipes French meringue is simple to whip up once you know how.
How to make French meringue. Have you ever wanted to whip up your own meringue kisses or had a craving for pavlova and wanted to make it from scratch. French meringue is reletivley simple to make once you understand the basics
French meringue starts out life as egg whites at room temperature, whisked until small bubble start to form, these bubbles are very important as they build the eggs stability. Caster sugar is then added whilst continuing to whisk until the sugar has been completly dissolved and the mixture has formed stiff peaks. The meringue is then baked on a low temperature and left to cool with the oven turned off to cool completly and dry out.
When making meringue I always use a 2:1 ratio of sugar to egg whites. I find it useful to weigh out the egg whites first then weigh out double the amount of sugar. I always heat my sugar when making meringue, this helps creates a stable glossy meringue.
French Meringues
How to make French meringue. The key ingredient to many recipes French meringue is simple to whip up once you know how.
Ingredients
- 150 g egg whites room temperature
- 300 g caster sugar
Instructions
- Pre heat your oven to 200C and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Add the sugar to the tray and pop into the oven, heat the sugar for 8 minutes whilst you whisk your egg whites.
- Add the egg whites to the bowl of a stand alone mixer, whisk them on a slow speed until small air bubbles begin to form.
- Slowly increase the speed until whisking at full power. Continue to whisk until stiff peaks form.
- Remove the sugar from the oven and turn it down to 140C.
- With the mixer running, slowly add the sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it has all been incorporated.
- To test the sugar has been dissolved, rub a little of the meringue between your fingers and if it feels smooth it has dissolved. If it feels gritty keep whisking.
- You are looking for a thick, glossy and stiff meringue.
- To make meringue kisses, transfer the mixture to a piping bag fitted with a large piping tip, plain round or star.
- Pipe small swirls of meringue onto a lined baking tray and bake at 140C for 35-45 minutes or until the outer shell is hard and they easily come away from the baking paper.
- Turn off the oven and leave the door popped open and leave the meringues in the oven to cool completely and dry out.
This recipe works the same for pavlova, just increase the cooking time as the meringue gets large.
And there you have it it, my ultimate guide on how to make French meringue. Don’t forget to show me your bakes by tagging @whatseatingmanchester in your social media post.
For more recipe inspiration don’t forget to check out my blog or pintrest.
Sarah xx
