Banana Bread
Nothing ever went to waste in my house. If bananas got too brown, we knew banana bread was on its way. In fact, I couldn’t wait for the bananas to go brown! I happily made my family’s recipe for years, until the day I tasted my friend Teri Hatcher’s banana bread on the set of Desperate Housewives. She’s our unofficial on-set baker, and her philosophy on banana bread is “the more booze, the better the bread.” This version is like using bananas Foster to make banana bread. The flavor is fantastic and it’s the moistest I’ve ever made or tasted.
Recipe information
Yield
makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the brown sugar and cook, stirring often, until the sugar melts completely and the mixture forms a smooth syrup, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat if the sugar is browning too quickly. Don’t worry if the sugar looks like it is clumping; it will smooth out as it cooks. Stir in the bananas, rum, and Cognac; the syrup will harden and become sticky. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, until the sugar has melted and the mixture is well blended. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 5 × 9-inch loaf pan and set aside.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, place the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Whisk until well blended and set aside.
Step 4
In the work bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a large mixing bowl with a handheld mixer, place the sugar and remaining 8 tablespoons of butter. Beat on medium-high speed until fluffy and lightened in color, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs and beat until well blended.
Step 5
Add the flour mixture and beat on medium speed just until blended. Add the reserved cooled bananas and the sour cream and beat just until blended. Fold in the nuts, if using. Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Bake until well browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few crumbs clinging to it, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes. Unmold and let cool completely.
From Aunt Elsa’s Kitchen
Step 6
Bananas can go from ripe to overripe very quickly. Peel and place them in a sturdy zip-top bag in the freezer until you can get around to making banana bread.
