This might sound odd, but whenever we're at the height of summer (and I believe we've gotten there) I start having trouble baking things involving summer fruit. While May, June and July are filled with strawberry cakes, raspberry semolina tarts and blueberry muffins, starting August the farthest a berry normally gets is from the bag they were carried home in to my mouth.
I don't intentionally decide not to bake with these fruits, it's just that when I taste the sweet strawberries, bite into a juicy peach, squinch slightly as I plop the white currants into my mouth, I can't help but feel that their days are numbered and that, before I know it, I will no longer be able to enjoy them as they are in their purest state: already perfect in every way.
And once I've come to that realization, I simply don't feel like combining them with butter, tossing them with sugar, baking them until they are shriveled or hidden by flour and oats, buttermilk and cream. To put it succinctly: I don't feel like tampering with perfection.
Bananas, on the other hand, are an entirely different story.
I am pretty sure bananas will not start growing anywhere near London anytime soon, thereby becoming seasonal and local. Rather, they'll always be shipped in from all over the world, making them readily available all year long. Though to be perfectly honest: even if they were seasonal, I wouldn't want to eat them in their pure state. Call me weird, but I don't really like eating bananas.
Still, I end up buying them with all intentions of slicing them into my morning cereal, because I know they are healthy, energy packed and all that jazz. But these days my morning breakfasts are skipped and so the bunch of bananas always ends up lying around, staring at me, feeling rather unloved, as they witness the amount of other fruit that comes and goes while they remain untouched.
And just when they become so overripe, so soft and mushy, more brown than yellow, and think they are destined for trash, I decide they are worthy of my attention. Because suddenly they're the only ingredient I want to bake with.
Banana Coconut Bread
adapted, slightly, from Orangette
This "bread" was satisfaction on so many levels. Not only did I finally use up my bananas, but I had been craving something-coconut for the past three weeks! The combination is outstanding. And the rum gives it a special something extra.
Not into coconuts and prefer walnuts? You could try this banana bread.
This "bread" was satisfaction on so many levels. Not only did I finally use up my bananas, but I had been craving something-coconut for the past three weeks! The combination is outstanding. And the rum gives it a special something extra.
Not into coconuts and prefer walnuts? You could try this banana bread.
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250g // 2 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
113g // 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g // 1 cup of granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of salt
113g // 1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature
200g // 1 cup of granulated sugar
1/8 teaspoon of distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons of dark rum
About 3 large, overripe bananas, pureed in blender/food processor (they should yield 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dried shredded unsweetened coconut
1 tablespoon demerara ("sugar in the raw") or dark brown sugar
-------------------------------------Preheat the oven to 176°C // 350°F. Butter a standard-size loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, baking soda, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the vinegar and rum, and beat to mix well. Add half the banana purée, then half the flour mixture beating after each addition only to just incorporate. Repeat this for the remaining halves. Use a spatula to fold in any flour that has not been absorbed, and stir in the coconut. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with demerara sugar. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes (you can cover the pan in foil during that time, to really lock in the moisture); then turn the loaf out of the pan. Theoretically you should allow it to cool completely. In practice... I doubt you will.
This loaf will keep, covered in plastic wrap, for 3 to 4 days, though I don't think it will last that long. As good as it is straight from the oven, it is even better the next day.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of a stand mixer), beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Then add the vinegar and rum, and beat to mix well. Add half the banana purée, then half the flour mixture beating after each addition only to just incorporate. Repeat this for the remaining halves. Use a spatula to fold in any flour that has not been absorbed, and stir in the coconut. Do not overmix.
Pour the batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the top with demerara sugar. Bake for 50-65 minutes, or until the top is nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes (you can cover the pan in foil during that time, to really lock in the moisture); then turn the loaf out of the pan. Theoretically you should allow it to cool completely. In practice... I doubt you will.
This loaf will keep, covered in plastic wrap, for 3 to 4 days, though I don't think it will last that long. As good as it is straight from the oven, it is even better the next day.
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