Bobby Flay’s Banana Bread

Mmmm…..

I promise I do make other foods besides bread, but I’ll be damned if bread isn’t at the top of my favorites list.  Every bread from toasted pita chips to chewy bagels, whole grain toast, muffins, potato rolls, King’s Hawaiian, garlic bread, ciabatta, croissants, crackers, pizza crust, and, of course, one of the world’s most beloved breads, the banana bread.

I have this compulsion with recipes.  If there are more than one ways to “skin a cat” or, in this case, to make banana bread, I feel some anxiety wondering whether I’ve tried enough different recipes.  What if there’s a better one?  A tastier one, a healthier one, a faster one, a prettier one that I haven’t tried?  What if I waste precious hours of my life making and eating a banana bread that is not the SINGLE VERY BEST ONE?

I just want you to rest assured that after trying this recipe, you won’t feel compelled to keep searching.  There’s no reason.  It’s SOOOO good.  The kind of good that makes you wonder why you would ever try another banana bread recipe, let alone, another food group ever again.

Or maybe you’re not a Type A maniac like I am, and maybe you don’t worry about things like the number of different chocolate chip cookie recipes in the world and whether you’ll live long enough to try them all.  (On a side note, eating as many chocolate chip cookies as possible has not been found to lengthen life spans, so that’s doubly difficult.)

Since it’s another winter weekend outside, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to use up some of those rotting bananas (you know you have some) for this higher purpose and reward yourself should you happen to wander outside in the cold for too long.  You can find Bobby’s original recipe here (which includes instructions for vanilla bean pecan butter for those looking for a real treat), and you can find my adaptation below!

[lt_recipe name=”Bobby Flay’s Banana Bread” cook_time=”1H” difficulty=”Easy” summary=”Moist, rich, and sweet – a great reward for a hard workout on a cold day!” print=”yes” image=”http://www.eighteenalmonds.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/IMG_7781-150×150.jpg” ingredients=”Butter for greasing the pan;1 3/4 c all-purpose flour;1/2 c sugar;1/4 c brown sugar;1 tsp baking powder;1/2 tsp ground cinnamon;1/4 tsp baking soda;1/4 tsp salt;6 tbsp unsalted butter, melted;2 tbsp canola oil;1 tsp vanilla extract;3 large ripe bananas (the riper, the better);2 large eggs, lightly beaten” ]Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan with butter, and set aside. ;In a medium bowl, mix together flour, sugars, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. ;Mix together butter, oil, vanilla, bananas, and eggs in another larger bowl. ;Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just combined. ;Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean (50-60 minutes). Let the bread cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove it and serve it warm with butter because you deserve it.[/lt_recipe]