Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Saturday, Oct 23rd - Blueberry Banana Lemon Nut Bread - So Yummo!

Blueberry Banana Lemon Nut Bread
I had a craving and D had a freezer capacity issue so this was a very symbiotic baking session.  We still have at least 30% our freezer occupied by our blueberry freezing bonanza and we were reaching critical mass on brown bananas in there as well.  D generally doesn't do the baking, I do but when it comes to quick breads, well, he claims the title in the house.

Admittedly, he messed up slightly on the flour by using Bread flour instead of Cake flour as an experiment.  He meant to try the lighter more tender flour and had the mental burp in his head on the naming.  In the recipe, I just specify All Purpose but you could try what he had meant to, and use cake.  D did figure out  that bread was a mistake before he added too much.  It was delicious nonetheless.

Blueberry Banana Lemon Nut Bread

1 c Vanilla Sugar (regular sugar with vanilla beans)
1/2 c Unsalted Butter at room temperature
2 Eggs
1/2 Lemon,  juiced and zested
3 - 4 Ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 c Walnuts (Almonds or Pecans)
1 c All Purpose flour
1 c Wholewheat flour
1 c Blueberries
1 t Baking Soda
1 t Vanilla extract or 1 Vanilla bean, scraped
1/2 t Baking Powder
1/2 t Salt, fine (don't want hunks of salt zones)

Preheat the oven to 350F. (or What I do because of the temperature drop when you open the door, I like to preheat the oven to 375F then when I put the loaf in, I turn the oven down to 350F)

In a mixer with the paddle attachement, cream Sugar and Butter well combined and fluffy in appearance.

Add the Eggs one at a time as each get's absorbed. Add the Lemon stuffs and Vanilla.

Lower the spead to stir and add the Bananas (already mashed).

On the side in a bowl, toss Blueberries in 1 T Flour until lightly coated. In that same bowl, add the  Nuts, Flours, Salt, Baking Powder and Baking Soda and mix gently so as not to pierce or smush the berries.

Take the mixing bowl off the mixer and with a nice big wooden spoon or big spatula, gently mix in the Blueberry and Flour mixture.  Nothing worse to me than blue streaks in blueberry baking, like those purple muffins in the Magic Bullet infomercials.  Do not over mix or your bread will be tough.

Pour into Buttered non-stick loaf pan.  You can flour the pan if you must.  I do not.

Bake for 55-60 minutes.  Test the centre with a wooden toothpick or skewer for doness.  Crumbs are good, goo is not done.

DELICIOUS!

9 comments:

Amy Bakes Everything said...

Yummy! I love quick breads!

Carolyn said...

Wow, you must have really gone to town on the blueberries! But this bread sounds like a delicious use of both the berries and the bananas. Yum!

Anonymous said...

these are all great flavours to join together :)

briarrose said...

Yummy. Wonderful flavors.

Anonymous said...

I'm looking forward to trying this. Why do you capitalize the ingredients? Stupid looking. The professionals never ever do it, and it's unnecessary and makes you look like you're just learning the language. Please for the love of God, stop. It looks like a first-grader wrote this.

Me said...

Wow, Anonymous, that is the most useless bit of feedback I have ever received. Critism I can take but this is truly Riculous. Do you like the capitalised R? I have been speaking and writing English and three other languages for over 90% of my life. I Capitalise Ingredients quite intentionally. I prefer it that way. I find lower case ingredients sloppy looking. I am not 'learning the language' I assure you. Funny that you would sign anonymous. That seems quite 'unprofessional' to me. I will not stop. But you are welcome to stop reading if it offends you.

Rachel said...

What a delicious combination! I love it when baking is inspired by ingredients that need to be used! It's a great way to get creative!

Imwaytoobusy said...

Blueberries, bananas, and lemons!? Sounds perfect! :)

Kooky Girl said...

Good reply above... :o)

This recipe looks lovely. I didn't even notice the lettering... now I am wondering if I do that too on my blog and I only meant to write that your loaf looks scrummy. I do a similar recipe with tayberries and lemon. Oh, and I wish I had a glut of blueberries - you are lucky !