July 14, 2011

To Try Tuesday - Roasted Banana Bread with Browned Butter and Toffee Topping




Sometimes I think I want to give up my blog.  I love the cooking part but I just get so frustrated with taking photos.  They just never seem to turn out the way that I would like them to.  I have these beautiful visions in my head but what I see is not what I get.  I really have no one to blame but myself.  I should learn the ins and outs of my camera, I should take a class in photography, I should read more books on food photography, I should buy some proper lighting.  Lots of "shoulds" but not enough time or finances to do so at the moment.  One day.

Anyway, back to the task at hand.  I had lots of bananas quickly ripening in the fruit basket and I wanted something new to try rather than my go-to recipe for banana bread.  I went through my trusty "To Try" list hoping to find something.  Sure enough there was a great-sounding recipe for Roasted Banana Nut Bread with Browned Butter & Toffee Topping on Karissa's site Baking For Her Soul.

The only changes I made were to omit the nuts and I did not lay the slices of banana on the sides like she did.  The roasting of the bananas brings out the sweetness and adds such a wonderful flavor to the bread.  The crunchy topping was also good, and I can imagine a few different directions to go in if you did want a different topping - a sprinkle of coconut, a cream cheese and passionfruit frosting, even something with peanut butter would be yummy.  And should the bread last long enough to be re-purposed I think it would make an awesome base for a bread pudding.






Roasted Banana Bread with Browned Butter and Toffee Topping

Ingredients
  • 3 medium bananas
  • ⅔ cup brown sugar, separated
  • 4 tablespoons butter, separated
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¼ cup low-fat plain yogurt
  • 2 large eggs, room temperature
  • 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ⅓ cup toffee pieces for sprinkling on top, optional
  • 2 teaspoons granulated sugar for sprinkling on top, optional

Preparation
  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Grease and flour a 9×5 loaf pan.
  3. Peel and slice the bananas into ½-inch pieces and toss them with 1/3 cup brown sugar and 1 tablespoon butter in a foil-lined baking dish.
  4. Bake for 40 minutes, stirring once during baking, until the bananas are browned and cooked through.
  5. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  6. Reduce oven heat to 350°F.
  7. Whisk together flour, baking soda, and cinnamon in a medium bowl, and set aside. 
  8. On medium heat, brown 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, swirling the pan several times for about 5 minutes until the butter has started to brown.
  9. Remove from heat and add 1/3 cup brown sugar and salt.
  10. Add the bananas to the browned butter and mash into mixture, until just combined.
  11. Add eggs, vanilla extract, oil, and the yogurt to the butter, sugar and bananas, mix until combined.
  12. Add the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and mix to incorporate fully, but don’t mix past the point where it’s just combined.
  13. Pour into prepared pan.
  14. Sprinkle the toffee bits on top, and then sprinkled the entire top with sugar.
  15. Bake at 350°F degrees on center rack for about 40-50 minutes, until toothpick comes out clean and top is browned.
  16. Remove from oven and allow to cool in loaf pan for about 10-15 minutes before removing the loaf.
  17. Place on a wire rack to cool completely.
Recipe adapted from Baking For Her Soul.

30 comments:

  1. I know exactly how you feel about the photography side of food blogging, I want to be able to take all these gorgeous photo's but just can't due to the fact I'm currently living in a house with an ugly kitchen and no natural light so my pictures all look dark and rubbish....one day I will live in a house with lovely natural light!!!!!

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  2. Oh yummy! This looks great - and I definitely think you take wonderful pictures =)

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  3. I really like the toffee topping on this bread! Your bread looks fantastic in those pictures.
    I try not to have a picture in my mind because I would face the same thing that you do-my picture is never like the one in my head, so I have found it is better not to envision anything. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. I get frustrated with the pictures too. I think this bread, with that topping would make me very happy though! Yummy!

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  5. Browned butter and toffee topping? Goodness, I didn't know banana bread could be made any better but I was wrong, great recipe!

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  6. It's almost impossible to go wrong with banana bread, but I can imagine that roasting the bananas just makes it that much better... not to mention adding that topping. Yum!
    Definitely giving this a try next time I've got some ripe bananas on my hands!

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  7. This looks just lovely. Very unique recipe. Glad I popped by. Kim

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  8. I make banana bread at least every few months and I have never thought of roasting the bananas - so smart!

    And for the photos, don't be so hard on yourself! :) Everything in good time, and I can totally recommend Tartlette's new book, Plate to Pixel. It is a quick read, and has TONS of easy suggestions for taking beautiful photos, I love it!

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  9. oh my...looks so yummmmy...
    first time here...lovely space u have..
    Am ur happy follower now.:)
    do stop by mine sometime..
    Tasty Appetite

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  10. Sounds so delicious. Definitely on my "to make" list.

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  11. I don't think there is anything wrong with your photos. I just think it's hard because we see something in our head, but then look at them on the computer and they don't compare. I see amazing photos all the time, yet the recipe is garbage, so I say "next". This recipe is a keeper in my book.
    -Gina-

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  12. This bread sounds amazing. I'm with you on lighting, learning my camera, etc. But your pictures look great and the recipe speaks for itself. :)

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  13. I took a little bit of time to read an online tutorial about photography, and I think it was actually done by Canon, the maker of my Rebel. That definitely helped me (and didn't take more than a few hours) but except for the few pro photographers among us, I think a lot of us struggle with the photos. I've figured out a few good things that work in the lighting of my front window, but other than that, I have no clue what I am doing, really!

    Your pics of this bread are wonderful and it sounds like a phenomenal recipe!

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  14. Love the flavor of roasted bananas! Do not be discouraged by food photography. As long as you love cooking, the photography skills will come with time and experience.

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  15. love banana bread. add toffee too it and I'm more than sold.

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  16. I love banana bread and this recipes sounds so much better. I am so going to try this next time I make banana bread.

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  17. The topping of this bread sounds so good! What a great idea to put it on banana bread!

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  18. I think I'm in love... with this banana bread! AND... I feel you about the frustrations of blogging. BUT there are lots of joys too! And if you view blogging as a process, rather than an end, I guarantee you'll feel less frustrated! Happy Saturday!

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  19. good photography or bad these look fab.
    i know exactly what you mean,its frustrating.i really cant spend much time taking pics,nor am i an expert in photography
    but believe me it does not matter as long as it tastes good,and your blog has quality recipes.happy to follow you
    charishma
    http://cheriesstolenrecipes.blogspot.com/

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  20. Everything about this is calling my name, I love it!

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  21. That first photo makes me wish that I could jump through my monitor and eat up your delicious loaf!! Beautiful!

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  22. I definitely hear you on the photography... I get bummed out all of the time since I only have a point and shoot camera. But your recipe AND photos look awesome!

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  23. I agree the photography part is the most time consuming and hardest part of the blog! I really admire those that take the time out to really learn it- and it shows in their photos. I invested in a camera, but really havent learned how to use it... This banana bread sounds great though AND it looks great too! =)

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  24. Oh WOW! yum, yum, yum! That bread looks and sounds absolutely fabulous!

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  25. You had me at browned butter and toffee. And roasted bananas? Genius!

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  26. This looks so delicious, what a great recipe!!

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  27. I have been struggling with my photos too. Right now I'm reading Plate to Pixel book, hopefully when I'm done I'll know how to take decent photos, but I wouldn't put my hopes so high.
    The bread sound fantastic, love the idea of roasting bananas.
    Thanks for sharing Felice

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  28. Aww Felice I know how you feel. But from my POV your photographs are mouth watering! This looks like the kind of thing I'd happily devour piece after piece! :D

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  29. Your banana bread looks so good and I can just imagine how yummy it tastes. I make banana bread often, so next time I'll try roasting the bananas.

    As for the photgraphy, I live in the woods, so I don't get a lot of natural light and struggle with my photos. I'm not a perfectionist, which might be part of the ptoblem.

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