One Banana Banana Bread

 

Have you ever found yourself with just one over-ripe banana and not been able to find a way to use it up?  I have. It's really difficult to find something to do with one over-ripe banana.  Not anymore!

 I discovered a one banana banana bread recipe here on Baking Mischief and almost jumped in the air and clicked my heels together when I did!  

I had exactly one overripe banana that needed using up. How could I resist!  I just had to bake this recipe.  I didn't have the exact sized pan required, but I didn't let that deter me in the least. Where there is a will there is a way!  

I am not a person who really likes eating raw bananas, unless they are sliced and on top of my rice crispies. I will not very often eat a banana out of hand, but I do like to bake with them.

I will usually buy only a couple of bananas with the intent of using them to bake with eventually. This time I ended up eating one as a banana and then I had one that lay ripening on my countertop that I needed to use up in some way.

 

I baked it in the smallest sized loaf pan I have, which was 7 inches by 3 inches, and I am happy to say that it turned out really well. Of course, it would have been a bit taller had my pan been just that two inches smaller in length, but it was still an excellent banana bread, albeit not quite as tall.

This was moist and delicious. I loved the idea of the cinnamon sugar crust on top which I actually doubled, adding half after the bread had baked and cooled.  This added extra crunch and flavor. Altogether I would call this banana bread a winner! 

And . . .  I didn't have to throw away my banana.

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ONE BANANA BANANA BREAD

Just a few simple ingredients and ONE banana. I know! You are welcome!  Recipes using just one banana are hard to come by!

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 medium banana, very ripe with brown spots
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 TBS (42g) butter, melted

For the sugar crust:

• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

 

These are pretty simple ordinary everyday baking ingredients. I love that you only need one banana to make this tasty loaf.  My banana was a medium one, no more than six inches in length.

I doubled the cinnamon sugar crust ingredients applying one half prior to baking and then sprinkling the other half on top of the banana bread once it had cooled. This was a lovely touch.

In the U. K. I would use castor sugar as regular granulated sugar over there would be far too coarse.

HOW TO MAKE ONE BANANA BANANA BREAD

Now that is a mouthful to say, repeating banana twice, but it is worth it because this is one very tasty little loaf!

 Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C. gas mark 4. Butter your tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to lift out the finished bread when done.

Whisk the flour and sugar together in a bowl along with the baking powder, soda and salt.

Peel and mash the banana until smooth. (I use my stick blender for this as I don't like lumpy banana in my banana bread.) Whisk in the beaten egg.

Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix together just to combine. Stir in the melted butter. Don't overmix, but do make sure it is mixed in completely.

Pour/spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.

 

 

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top. (I actually doubled this amount and divided it in two, applying the first half before baking and sprinkling the other half over top when the bread had cooled. This was really yummy and added interest.)

Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 38 minutes. You will know it is done when it shrinks a bit from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

 Leave to cool in the pan before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve

 Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped for up to three days at room temperature.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR THE BEST QUICK BREADS

Here are my hints and tips for making sure that your quick breads turn out beautifully every time:

1. Mix wet and dry ingredients separately. To prevent the mix from being overworked, first mix the wet ingredients together in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another. Make a well in the dry ingredients, carefully pour in the wet ingredients, then stir the mix a couple of times to roughly combine. 

 2. Don't over mix your muffins. The most important rule of quick loaf making is to not over stir the mix. What you really want is to just moisten the ingredients. Do not stir or beat the batter until it is smooth and lump free. You want the final mix to be lumpy, and thick with a few floury streaks.

 3. Add your flavors last.  While spices should be added with all the other dry ingredients, additions like fruit and nuts should be added last. Give the batter one more light-handed stir once you've added them in just to combine.  

4. Line the pans. You can choose to either grease the loaf tin or line it with paper liners. If you choose to forgo the liners, make sure you grease the base and sides of the pan with oil spray or a little melted butter. 

 5. Don't overfill your pans. Aim to fill your pans no more than ¾ full  to prevent your loaf from spilling out over your oven.  Often if your tins are over filled the loaf will rise to the top and then collapse on itself.

 6. For extra interest, add a flavorful sprinkle on top.  Once your loaf pan is filled, you can choose to sprinkle the top with more fruit, nuts, a crumble topping, or even sanding sugar or cinnamon sugar, for even more taste and or crunch. As your loaf rises these toppings will cook into the top of your bread creating extra flavor, crunch and interest.  

 

This was really delicious. Moist and loaded with plenty of banana flavor.  The slices were not as tall as if I had baked them in a smaller loaf tin, but they were still lovely.  I got to enjoy two smaller slices rather than one larger one. 

I loved the cinnamon sugar crust on top, which I doubled. I baked half on top of the bread and then added the other half after baking. This made a lovely cinnamon sugar crust that was really quite enjoyable!

 

Always looking for ways to use up ripe bananas?  I got you covered.  Be sure to check out these additional tasty banana recipes.

BANANA CHOCOLATE CHIP BREAD FOR TWO -This is a simple, moist and tender banana loaf that tastes like bananas. It is studded with toasted walnuts and good quality chopped milk chocolate. You will need a 5 1/2 by 3 inch loaf tin for this delight. You could also bake it in two muffin cups.   

BANANA NUT & CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS -These are the perfect banana muffins. Moist, lightly spiced and filled with toasted nuts and chocolate chips (or not if that's what you prefer.) 

 

QUICK AND EASY BANANA PUDDING - Banana Pudding is a delicious dessert usually attributed to the South of America, consisting of a rich vanilla custard layered in a dish with sliced bananas and vanilla wafer cookies.  It is usually served topped with whipped cream and more cookies and sliced bananas for a garnish. This is a small batch recipe designed to feed only two people.

Yield: One small loaf

Author: Marie Rayner

One Banana Banana Bread

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 38 MinTotal time: 48 Min

Quick, easy, moist and delicious, this tasty loaf makes six fabulous slices. Enjoy it plain or buttered. Ideally you will bake this in a 5 1/2 by 3-inch loaf pan. I did not have one of those so baked mine in a 7 by 3-inch loaf pan and it worked out beautifully. Although it was not as tall as it might have been in a smaller pan, it was still delicious!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (60g) all-purpose plain flour
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 medium banana, very ripe with brown spots
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 3 TBS (42g) butter, melted

For the sugar crust:

• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C. gas mark 4. Butter your tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving an overhang to lift out the finished bread when done.
2. Whisk the flour and sugar together in a bowl along with the baking powder, soda and salt.
3. Peel and mash the banana until smooth. (I use my stick blender for this as I don't like lumpy banana in my banana bread.) Whisk in the beaten egg.
4. Pour over the dry ingredients in the bowl and mix together just to combine. Stir in the melted butter. Don't overmix, but do make sure it is mixed in completely.
5. Pour/spoon into the prepared pan, smoothing over the top.
6.  Mix together the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over top. (I actually doubled this amount and divided it in two, applying the first half before baking and sprinkling the other half over top when the bread had cooled. This was really yummy and added interest.)
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 38 minutes. You will know it is done when it shrinks a bit from the sides of the pan and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
8. Leave to cool in the pan before lifting out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into slices to serve.
9. Store any leftovers, tightly wrapped for up to three days at room temperature.

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