Why another cooking blog?

I decided to create this blog as a way for family and friends to see what I'm cooking and to share interesting food related tidbits I come across.
I'm frequently asked for recipes so I thought this would be a good place to start collecting the old, new, and funky recipes that I have.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Banana Nutella Bread

I discovered this recipe and have made it several times over the last few months. It is definitely a winner! Since I have a few speckled bananas on my counter I think it's time to make a loaf or two.

Banana Nutella Bread
From - Lemons & Anchovies



Ingredients
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting pan
¼ cup slivered almonds (you can add up to ½ cup for added texture)
10 tablespoons sugar
½ cup + ⅛ cup Nutella (heated for about 30 seconds in the microwave to make it more spreadable)
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 very ripe, soft, darkly-speckled bananas, mashed (about 1½ cups)
¼ cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instruction

Preheat oven to 350ยบ F. Grease 4 mini loaf pans or a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan and dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
Whisk all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl and set aside.
Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla with a wooden spoon in another bowl. Lightly fold the wet mixture into the dry mixture with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Stir in the almonds.
Measure out the Nutella in a small bowl and heat in the microwave for 30-35 seconds, just until it’s softened and stir together until it’s the texture of frosting. Stir the Nutella into the batter being careful not to completely incorporate the two together. You want a swirled pattern here.
Transfer batter into the greased and dusted loaf pan(s).
Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will take 25-30 minutes if you use mini loaf pans like I did or 50-55 minutes for a regular one. Cool in the pan for five minutes then transfer to a wire rack. This is great at room temperature or even straight out of the refrigerator.

My notes:
I didn't really change anything except for the yogurt. I only had fat free greek yogurt and it worked out just fine.
I think if you wanted to you could substitute 1C whole wheat flour for unbleached white to add a little more texture and fiber.