Road to Hilo Banana Bread

Also known as Eileen's Banana Nut Bread, featured in Betty Shimabukuro's May 22, 2013 food column in the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Eileen uses homegrown bananas and sells loaves of this bread, popular for its moist chunks of banana, from a farmer's market stand on the road to Hilo. The secret ingredient is vanilla pudding mix.

This is my favorite banana bread recipe, but it's not the one you use if you have only an overripe banana or two. 1 medium banana makes 1/3 cup mashed, so  for this recipe you'll need 9 medium bananas, a bunch or two!

Mash the bananas with a fork by hand, so the batter is chunky with banana.

• 1-1/2 cups white granulated sugar
• 3/4 cups vegetable oil
• 4 large beaten eggs (or 3 extra-large eggs)
• 3.4 oz (1 package) vanilla instant pudding mix
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 3 cups mashed bananas
• 1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
2. Grease and flour three 8-1/2" x 4-1/2 inch loaf pans OR two 9 x 5 " loaf pans. I find using the three smaller pans preferable to two, as the larger loaves take extra time to bake and may brown too much on top in the time it takes them to bake through to the centre. If you make the larger loaves you may need to cover the tops in foil if you see they're browning too soon.
3. Combine sugar, oil and eggs, mix well.
4. Add remaining ingredients.
5. Pour mixture into prepared loaf pans.
6. Bake 45 minutes or until bread springs back to touch, loaf edges shrink away from edges of pan, a crack appears in top of loaf.
7. Cool in pans on a wire rack.

Banana Bread

Banana Loaf

• 3 large ripe, peeled bananas
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter
• 3 beaten eggs 
• 1-3/4 cups white flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts OR 1/2 cup raisins

1. Mash bananas. Set aside.
2. In mixer, cream butter, mix in sugar, then add eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt together.
4. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture.
5. Fold in bananas, stir in nuts or raisins.
6. Put batter evenly in large loaf pan.
7. Bake in preheated 300 degree F oven for about 60 minutes or until bread is golden, shrinks from edges of pan and a crack appears in the top of the loaf.

Brown Sugar Banana Bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1-1/4 cups toasted chopped pecans OR 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1-1/2 cups well-mashed very ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp dark brown sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, whisk: flour, light brown sugar, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon.
4. In a medium bowl, mix with a wooden spoon: bananas, sour cream, eggs, butter and vanilla.
5. Fold banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined.
6. Spread batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan.
7. Sprinkle dark brown sugar on top of the batter (optional).
8. Bake 45-55 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
9. Remove pan from the oven and let bread cool 5-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack.
10. Serve warm or at room temperature.
11. Wrap cooled bread in parchment to keep at room temperature up to 3 days.

Whole Wheat Banana Bread

• 3 large ripe bananas, peeled and mashed
• 8 Tbsp (1 stick) butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 cup whole-wheat flour
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup shelled walnuts, coarsely chopped OR 1/2 cup raisins OR 1/2 cup any chopped dried fruit.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3" bread pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar until  light and fluffy (5 minutes).
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
5. Sift all-purpose flour, baking soda and salt together into a bowl.
6. Stir in whole wheat flour.
7. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, mixing well.
8. With a spatula, fold in mashed bananas, vanilla and walnuts or dried fruit.
9. Pour mixture into pan.
10. Bake 50 to 60  minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
11. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then on cooling rack.

Nan's Cranberry Sauce Banana Bread

1 pound (4 cups) of fresh cranberries makes 3 cups sauce.

Make a banana bread from a cup of leftover sauce.

This recipe is from Norm's mom's clippings.

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1-3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts or dried cranberries
• 1 cup mashed, ripe bananas (about 3 medium)
• 1 cup cranberry sauce

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Grease an 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" x 2-1/2" baking pan.
3. Cream butter and sugar.
4. Add eggs one at a time. Beat well after each addition.
5. Sift the dry ingredients together, add nuts or dried cranberries.
6. Alternate adding the flour mixture with the mashed bananas to the creamed mixture.
7. Beat well after reach addition.
8. With a spatula, fold in cranberry sauce.
9. Pour into greased loaf pan. 
10. Bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour.

Banana Muffins and Banana Bread with Variations

These banana muffins are good. They're best using the slightly over-ripe or bruised bananas that no one wants to eat otherwise.

• 3 large bananas (about 2 cups mashed)
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil OR melted butter OR melted margarine

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F for bread OR 375 degrees F for muffins.
2. Mash bananas with sugar.
3. Beat the egg and stir in.
4. Mix in melted butter or oil.
5. Sift together the dry ingredients, then fold into the banana mixture just until blended. Don't over-stir.
6. Fill greased muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for about 20 minutes at 375 degrees F OR
7. Fill greased and floured 9 x 5" bread pan and bake about 1 hour at 300 degrees F.

Variations:

• Increase the fibre content by adding 1/2 cup bran OR add
• Add 1/2 cup raisins OR
• Mix 1/2 cup coconut into the batter and poke some drained pineapple wedges into the top of the bread (I did this recently and it was delicious)