Bon Appétit’s Best Banana Bread

Just like everyone else, I also have a long list my tried and tested [and improved!] banana bread recipes but that does not stop me from tinkering with a new recipe whenever I have some ageing bananas around. While I am not adverse to nuts in my banana bread, I tend to sidestep walnuts in favor of pecans or hazelnuts. Similarly, instead of chocolate chips, I will invariably resort to chopped dark chocolate or even Nutella because they melt to form larger pockets of chocolaty goodness. This particular recipe is part of the Bon Appétit collection of baking essentials and gets its signature taste from the earthy tones of unrefined dark brown sugar. A liberal dose of mascarpone cheese helps to keep the texture moist without the batter turning dense or sticky which, I believe, can only be the hallmark of a ‘best’ banana bread.

BA’s BEST BANANA BREAD

Ingredients:

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup dark brown sugar, packed

1/3 cup mascarpone or Greek yogurt

1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

2 large eggs, room temperature

4 large very ripe bananas, mashed

1/2 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 8 ½” x 4½” loaf pan with nonstick spray and line with parchment.

• Leave a generous overhang on long sides. Whisk flour, baking soda, and kosher salt in a medium bowl.

• Using electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the brown sugar, mascarpone, and butter in a bowl.

• Beat till light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating to blend after each addition.

• Scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Reduce speed, add flour mixture, and mix until just combined.

• Add bananas and mix until combined. Fold in chocolate and walnuts. Scrape batter into prepared pan.

• Smooth top and bake bread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, for 60-65 minutes.

• Transfer pan to a wire rack and let bread cool in pan 1 hour. Turn out bread and let it cool completely.

Bon Appetit’s Best Banana Bread

KAF October 2017 Bakealong Challenge – Rugelach

Welcome to our October Bakealong challenge. Each month, we’ll announce a new recipe for you to try, along with helpful tips and step-by-step instructions here on our blog. We invite you to bake this month’s recipe, Rugelach, then share a photo of your creation, tagging it #bakealong. Enjoy!

Is it a pastry or a cookie? Rugelach – buttery, tender dough wrapped around a variety of fillings – perfectly straddles the line. Popping one of these treats into your mouth feels like a bite of pie, an edge piece that is as much crust as filling. Flaky, fruit-filled Danish comes to mind, too. Your overall impression is rich: from its cream cheese pastry to the sweet combination of nuts, fruit or chocolate inside, rugelach is the perfect cookie for a special occasion.

RUGELACH

For the Crust

227g unsalted butter, room temperature

170g cream cheese, room temperature

74g sour cream

1/2 teaspoon salt

241g all purpose flour

For the Filling

106g brown sugar

113g walnuts, chopped

85g dried cranberries

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Water for brushing dough

For the Topping

Coarse white sparkling sugar

Milk or cream

Method:

• To make the crust, place flour and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse them briefly till combined.
• Cut butter and cream cheese into chunks and add along with cream. Pulse until dough comes together.

• Divide dough into three equal portions. Press each gently into a disc making them as round as possible.
• Wrap the discs of dough in plastic, and chill the dough for about 1 hour, until it is firm but not rock hard.

• To make the filling, process the sugar, walnuts, dried fruit, and cinnamon in a food processor or blender.
• Working with one piece of dough at a time, place it on a generously floured surface. Roll into a 10″ circle.

• Brush lightly with water or a layer of boiled cider, warmed apple or currant jelly or puréed fruit preserves.
• Spread about 1/3 of the filling on the round, going all the way to the edges and gently pat down the filling.

• Using a pizza cutter, baker’s bench knife, or sharp knife, divide the dough into 12 equal wedges/triangles.
• Roll each wedge up, beginning with the wide end. Place the rolls point-side down on a lined baking sheet.

• Repeat with the remaining two pieces of dough. Brush with milk and sprinkle with coarse sparkling sugar.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Refrigerate rugelach while oven is preheating. Bake for 25-30 minutes till golden.

• Remove from the oven, and cool right on the pan. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 36 pieces.
• Store rugelach in an airtight container at room temperature for several days or freeze for longer storage.

KAF October Bakealong Challenge

{Eggless} Banana & Date Muffins

These egg-free muffins will totally fool anyone who strongly believes in the myth ‘eggless cakes can only be dense and chewy, never achieving the sponginess resulting from incorporating beaten eggs into the batter’. I am almost ecstatic to share with you the results of this detectable recipe from Erivum Puliyum, a beautiful blog maintained by Julie who writes about traditional dishes from her homeland, Kerala. The puréed dates and muscovado sugar gives these muffins a faint, almost caramel-like flavour without being sickeningly sweet so be sure to use good-quality dates [I used Maître Prunille Dattes Moelleuses Dénoyautées] to get it right. With the addition of toasted walnuts and bananas, they make a healthy snack box option for kids and adults alike.

BANANA & DATE MUFFINS

Ingredients:

200g dates, pitted

1 cup full cream milk

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1/3 cup butter, unsalted

1/2 cup caster sugar

1/4 cup light muscovado

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch of kitchen salt

Method:

• Line 12-hole muffins pan with paper lines or grease the holes with butter and lightly flour them.

• Cream the butter and sugar until smooth and combined. Put the dates in a microwave safe bowl.

• Add milk and heat on high for 2 to 3 minutes until dates are softened or leave soaked overnight.

• Cool this mixture completely and blend the mixture in the blender until it forms a smooth paste.

• Add date paste, mashed banana to creamed butter sugar mixture. Carefully add dry ingredients.

• Lastly add oil, mix it to form a batter without lumps. Fold in toasted walnuts and vanilla extract.

• Pour in the prepared baking pan and bake for 30 to 35 minutes till a tooth pick comes out clean.

• Cool muffins in pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning them out to cool completely on wire rack.

Banana & Date Cake