Best Banana Bread Ever!

My mom gave me this recipe.  I am sure it comes from some old cook book she has had forever.  I LOVE this recipe.  It is simple, easy and very yummy.  You can make big loaves, little loaves, or muffins with this recipe.  It is a big enough batch that I can usually get a big loaf, a little loaf and 12 muffins.

Before we begin lets talk about bananas.  You can use fresh ones for this recipe and it will taste just fine.  The best ones are the ones that are a little over ripe (you know turning brown/black).  These bananas are super sweet and make the bread that much better.

I have also used baby food bananas.  Yup.  You need about 3 cups (so 6 jars). 

Also did you know you can freeze bananas?  My mom always has.   You know how there is usually only one or two bananas that are left going bad.  Just not enough to make bread or muffins.  But if you freeze them you will find that you have enough in no time at all. If you are using frozen bananas for this recipe make sure you let them thaw out all the way before you start.  Putting them in a bowl on the counter will keep things from being messy. 

Now...the recipe!

What you will need:

4 eggs

5 large ripe bananas

1 cup softened butter

2 cups sugar

4 cups sifted flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup pecans, chopped (optional)

To start pre heat your oven to 300 degrees. 

You will need three bowls.  A big one and two medium sized bowls.  

In one of the medium bowls put your 4 cups of flour and set to the side.

In the other medium bowl beat the eggs until they are thick (this just means until they are kind of fluffy).  Add the bananas and blend until your mix is liquid.  This can take a bit to get it smooth. 

In the large bowl cream together your butter (which should be very soft and not cold at all -  it is okay to melt it) and sugar.  Mix until they are very smooth and creamy looking. 

Now add the banana/egg mix to the sugar/butter bowl and mix until smooth. 

Now put two cups of flour in your sifter.  Add your baking soda and salt to the sifter and sift into your banana mixture.  Mix that flour in and then put two more cups of flour into your sifter and mix that in too.  The sifted flour will make your mix very smooth and creamy looking.  Now add your nuts if you want them.  The bread is just as good without them though.

Prepare your pans!  I use cooking spray and give my bread pans a good coat.  I have never had a loaf stick doing this.  If you want muffins that is easy!  Just use the paper muffin cups, other wise you will need to spray the muffin tins too. 

Fill bread pans a little more than half way.  Fill muffin cups the same way (just like cupcakes). 

Baking can get interesting if you have more than one type going in.  Muffins usually take about 35 to 40 minutes.  Small loaves usually take 40 to 45 minutes.  Big loaves always take about 70 to 75 minutes.  

Keep an eye on your bread the first time you bake.  Every oven and altitude is different so you will need to fine tune your bake time to your individual needs.  It is totally fine if your bread takes longer to cook than the times listed above.  To check if your bread is done, the tops should be firm.  You can poke your bread in the middle with a tooth pick (or a butter knife - thats what I use since it can reach all the way to the middle on the big loaves).  If the tooth pick/butter knife comes out clean your bread is done!  

Let your bread cool for 5 minutes in the pan then flip it over, give the pan a gentle shake and the bread should just slide right out.  Let it cool for at least 15 more minutes and then enjoy!

Orange Scones

Sorry it's late!!  I blame life and small children in general.  

So I am addicted to Panera Bread's Orange Scones.  They are my favorite treat.  My husband got me 7 of them for our Anniversary this year.  One for each year we were married.  He's pretty darn awesome.  Oh, and yes I shared.  

I decided that I could probably make something close to their scones.  They looked, tasted, and felt like a glorified biscuit. I'm pretty good at baking.  Probably not going to win any awards, but everything I turn out tastes good.  At least that is what my family tells me.  So I searched the interwebz for all of 20 minutes and found one that people were saying was good and made some and they tasted good!  Not quite Panera good, but good enough to make again. 

Orange Scones

What you need:

2 cups flour 

(I usually sift 2 cups then re measure and keep the rest of the sifted flour out for rolling...Also you can do 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup whole wheat flour if you want)

6 tablespoons sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons orange zest (grated orange peel)

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter 

(refrigerator cold people...not freezer cold)

1/3 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 cup mandarin oranges very well drained and chopped

(I used a regular orange chopped up...it's what I had on hand)

To preface this...I don't have a kitchen aid or anything like that so I end up doing a LOT of stuff by hand when I bake.  I do have a standard hand mixer, but it is of no help with recipes like this. If you have a kitchen aid feel free to use it, but make sure that you don't over mix since that is what gives these scones their texture. 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. 

In a big bowl combine your flour(s), sugar, baking powder, salt and orange zest.  If you have never done orange zest before all you need to do is gently grate the outside of an un-peeled orange on the small side of your cheese grater.  Collect the grated peel (they usually stick to the inside of the grater), measure and add.  

Mix your dry ingredients well.  

Next we will cut in the butter.  Make sure your butter is cold (has been sitting in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours if it was frozen before).  I cut mine up into little squares and toss into the flour mix.  Then I use my hands to rub the butter into the flour mix. And by rub I mean exactly that.  Grab the mix and rub the hunks of butter into it.  You are looking to create a crumbly texture that looks something like this:

Okay, now in a second bowl whisk together your egg and milk.  Once they are well mixed add them to your dry mix and stir until it starts to stick together for the most part (I use a fork and a bit of elbow grease for this).  It will still look dry.  Add your oranges now and stir some more.  The moisture from the oranges should bring the rest of it together but it should still be lumpy and unattractive looking.  

Now make sure your counter is clean and sprinkle some flour and spread it around.  Make sure you have a good amount on your hands too because the scone dough is going to be sticky.  

Turn out the dough (fancy for dump the dough out on your counter) and knead the dough 10 times.  Never kneaded before? Simple. I put some flour on the top, squash it down and then grab one side and fold it over the other side and squash down again.  I did it 10 times...not sure why 10 times, but I am nothing if not obedient to the instructions. 

Now form it into a 6 inch circle that looks something like this:

Do you have one of these?  If not you will need a knife (non serrated would be best).

I have no idea what ^that^ is.  I got it as a wedding gift and I have seen cooks use them on cooking shows often.  I do know it is sweet for dividing pastry dough and scraping stuff off the counter with out them loosing to much of their shape (like stubborn sugar cookies).  It's also just plain good at scraping stuff off the counter. 

Moving along...You want to find the middle of your circle and cut it in half, then fourths and then eighths. 

Now place your wedges on a greased cookie sheet.  You can sprinkle them with sugar if you want.  I did because I am a sugar floozy.   

Now bake!  Start with 15 minutes and then check your scones.  If they still look/feel soft and doughy leave them in for another 3 to 5 minutes.  They should get a nice crunch to the outside and look a lovely golden brown.  Like this:

I'm lazy and didn't make a glaze.  You can if you want, but I just didn't have time.  

And that is how to make orange scones!  They tasted great and I'm pretty sure they will become a staple in our house from now on! 

Enjoy!

*****Have a family recipe you LOVE?  Please email it to me at kennedylantz@gmail.com and we will be happy to give it a try and I will feature it on our blog! *****