Banana Bread Three Ways: Simple, Coconut Rum, and Bourbon & Chocolate
It’s no mistake that our first three posts all involve baked goods. Growing up, our family enjoyed simple foods prepared at home with minimally processed base ingredients long before the concept was touted as some sort of revelation. But that did not mean we lacked for indulgence. In a home where the father has a sweet tooth and the mother is descended from dairy farmers, there will be no shortage of goodies. One of our more common and beloved indulgences was banana bread.
Banana bread is an ideal treat for a large, busy family. As a “quick bread,” banana bread is made from staple ingredients assuredly found in the cupboard of any home that bakes on even a semi-regular basis and comes together easily and quickly. It is also the single best way to do something with overripe bananas other than throw them away (other than possibly bake a banana cake, but that’s a post for another day…).
Yet the simplicity of a quick bread like banana bread is also the secret to its versatility. As the recipes below demonstrate, a good quick bread can stand on its own, or be a template for culinary creativity. As you can see, all of these recipes have the same basic ingredients (all-purpose flour, baking powder, butter, sugar, and, of course, bananas) in largely similar proportions. The Coconut Rum Banana Bread differs from the other two in that it does not call for eggs. Sadly, my knowledge of kitchen chemistry is not sufficiently developed to offer you any sort of insight on this variation. My personal observations were that it made for a more dense and chewy bread than I found in the Simple Banana Bread and the Bourbon Chocolate Banana Bread. While I highly recommend each of the recipes below, I also happily encourage you to experiment on your own! Personally, I’m now mulling over how best to make a peanut butter and honey banana bread…
A few notes on the bananas: All of these recipes call for 1 ½ cups + of mashed, ripe bananas. Do err on the “plus” side of this direction. I frequently use close to two cups of bananas for one loaf. I find this results in a more moist, sweet, and banana-y bread. Be aware that using more banana will tend to increase the baking time, sometimes by as much as half an hour. Also, the riper the banana the better. The more gross the uncooked banana looks, the better the bread will taste. I generally keep overripe bananas in the freezer to have on hand for sudden banana bread cravings.
Simple Banana Bread
Version 1:
Simple Banana Bread
Ingredients
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
⅔ cup sugar
¾ teaspoon lemon rind
2 eggs
1 ½ cups + mashed overripe bananas
½ cup chopped walnuts
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350* Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
• In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, blend butter, sugar, and lemon rind until light and fluffy.
• Combine eggs and banana.
• Mix egg and banana combination into butter and sugar mixture.
• Add dry ingredients and combine.
• Add nuts and combine.
• Pour bread batter into loaf pan.
• Sprinkle chocolate chips on top of the batter.
• Bake for at least one hour.
In the oven.
Coconut Rum Banana Bread
(adapted from Orangette)
Version 2:
Coconut Rum Banana Bread
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon distilled white vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons dark rum
1 ½ cups + mashed overripe bananas
½ cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350* Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium mixing bowl.
• In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add the vinegar and rum to the butter and sugar mixture, combine.
• Alternately add the dry ingredients and the banana to the wet ingredients, beating to just incorporate.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides and to stir in the coconut. Do not overmix.
• Pour bread batter into loaf pan.
• Sprinkle brown sugar on top of the batter.
• Bake for at least one hour.
Ready for its close-up
Bourbon and Chocolate Banana Bread
(Adapted from A Cup Of Jo)
Version 3:
Chocolate & Bourbon
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 ½ cups + mashed overripe bananas
1 teaspoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons bourbon
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Directions
• Preheat oven to 350* Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
• In a stand mixer or using a handheld mixer, blend butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs to butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating between each addition.
• Use a spatula to scrape down the sides, then add the banana, lemon juice, and bourbon. Beat until well incorporated.
• Use a spatula to mix in the walnuts and chocolate chips. Do not overmix.
• Pour bread batter into loaf pan.
• Bake for at least one hour.
Three Sisters Cooking 
I made the Coconut Rum Banana Bread – it is great!