October 12, 2009 - 11:37am
Need banana bread advice
My breadmaker makes 2 lb breads with 4 cups of flour. Can I make a banana bread my simply decreasing the amount of flour by the volume of the blended banana, or is the formula different.
Thanks
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Are you wanting to make a banana bread that is light and fluffy (banana tasting white bread)? Most banana breads are a heavier, denser, moist bread. And it doesn't need the kneading that a bread machine does. My banana bread takes about an hour start to finish and most of that time is baking time. So depending on the type of banana bread you want it would seem to me that a bread machine isn't really the right tool.
A banana tasting white bread would be great. A bread machine is my only option. My post only asked about the right amount of flour to subtract.
Wendy,
Thank you,
I'll post the recipe and result when I make the Bread.
I am first on a mission to find overripe Bananas. I just ourchased 3 Bananas that are still a little green. I have them sealed in a plastic bag to attempt to induce faster ripening. I may have to wait to use these if I can't find riper ones.
dragon49:
The water content in banana is about 75%. If you have a white bread formula you are satisfied with and planning to maintain the same hydration level, you may subtract the amount of water in your bananas from the water in your white bread formula. The more banana you use, the stronger the banana flavor will be. I once made a sandwich loaf with mashed ripe bananas in it, see here. However, the amount I used was not extensive since my primary purpose of using bananas was to retain moisture.
If you don't mind posting the white bread formula you are going to use, I'll let you know how I would do it.
Yippee
I couldn't wait for any more advice, as I promised my co-workers the bread tomorrow.
Here we go:
A drop less than 1 1/2 cups of water
3 1/2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3 1/2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Sea Salt
1 Tablespoon Imitation Vanilla
1 Egg
3/4 Cup Walnuts
2 bananas
2 Cups + 1 tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Buckwheat Flour
5 Tablespoons Duram Ata Flour
2 Tablespoons Whole Wheat Flour
2 tablespoons Vital Wheat Gluten
1 Tablespoon Instant Dry yeast
It is rising well and smells Delicious!
I didn't feel like making a mess in a blender or figuring how to squish the bananas. I simply sliced them.
The Bananas are not as ripe as they should be. I did a good job of accelarating the ripening process. I purcased them yesterday evening. They were hard and yellow, with a little green stell in them. I followed some internet advice and placed them in a closed paper bag with an apple. A little less that 24 hours later, they had softened a little and had already developed some brown spots. If this formula works out, I'll have to do it again, this time with overripe brown Bananas.
I'll write back to let you know how it tastes.
Later
It is now finished Baking. My apartment smells like Banana Brandy. It looks like one thing went wrong. The center of the bread caved in. What is this a sympom of?
Here is a pic:
http://i583.photobucket.com/albums/ss278/dragon49_bucket/IMG_0561.jpg