When it comes to bang for your buck nutrition-wise, I am a huge fan of bananas. I would say we probably go through at least 20 a week in our household. Feeding a hungry household of four I am always in search of a deal (don't get me started on the wonderful world of eggs). The great thing about bananas is even when they are about to go bad you never have to throw them out. You can do magical things with them like freeze them to be used in a smoothie or protien shake, or bake delicious tasty muffins and loaf with them.
I love the taste of a spotted banana, but a nice ripe bunch on my counter beckons to be baked into delicious banana bread. Now everyone and their sister thinks they have the ultimate recipe for banana bread. That being said if you prefer a moist banana loaf I really do have the ultimate recipe.
This bread turned out delish, or "deeeeeeeeeeeeeee---lish" according to my husband's instant message. Now admittedly he is probably biased to his wife's banana bread, but on the other hand I do bake an awful lot of loaf so he's definetely a seasoned critic.
To achieve that perfectly moist banana bread, you definetely want to use a good quantity of well-ripened bananas. While admittedly it skews the great economy of banana bread, the real secret ingredients in this recipe are ricotta cheese and a little sour cream. Whenever, wherever, whatever I'm baking I always throw in a dab of ricotta, sour cream, balkan yogurt - whatever I have on hand. This adds creaminess, taste, moisture and texture and brings whatever recipe you are using to the next level.
You can find some good deals on ricotta and it does keep well. We love to put it on salads with a sweeter dressing, top turkey spaghetti or a baked apple with it. Without further ado, here it is folks:
Rich Man's Moist Ricotta and Sour Cream Banana Bread
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups mushed ripened bananas (or pureed depending on your preference)
2 eggs
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sour cream
8-10 whole pecans to decorate with
1/4 cup cinnamon and white sugar (to top with)
1) Grease a loaf pan or muffin tin and preheat your oven to 375 degrees
2) Mix together your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar)
3) Mix together your remaining wet ingredients(without over-stirring), saving the milk for last
4) When you add the milk, make sure that you add enough so that your mixture is moist enough to slowly slide off a spoon when held upside down. If it doesn't move you need to add more milk!
5) Pour mixture into your loaf pan or muffin tin, top with pecans, and sprinkle with a little bit of cinnamon and sugar.
6) Bake approximately 35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the top is starting to turn a golden brown.
Enjoy, and try to share. If you're a real scrooge you can always freeze it for later use.
