Have a banana!

March 29, 2009 8:10 AM

I've got one very ripe banana and a craving for banana bread. What can I add to the recipe to make it tasty?

My mum's banana bread needs at least 2 bananas, I've been searching online, but I can't find a recipe that only needs 1 banana.

Do you have a tasty recipe that only needs one banana or suggestions for what I could substitute for that other banana?

I've got access to a wide selection of baking ingredients.

I did find a recipe for banana apple bread, but it still needed 2 bananas. Would increasing the amount of apple still work? We've got a lot of apples, but only one banana.

posted by Helga-woo to food & drink (18 comments total)

Here's a recipe for one-banana banana bread.
posted by taz at 8:15 AM on March 29

applesauce + butter (or shortening) = sort of like a banana

pumpkin = sort of like a banana; maybe add a little butter to this, too
posted by amtho at 8:26 AM on March 29 [1 favorite]

You could always halve the recipe.
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 8:38 AM on March 29

Vanilla, yogurt, nuts and cinnamon mixed together will stretch your banana.
posted by watercarrier at 8:38 AM on March 29

I've made apple bread to basically the same recipe as banana bread, so that would probably work fine. I'd add a little cinnamon and vanilla if the recipie doesn't already call for it though.
posted by restless_nomad at 8:39 AM on March 29

Halve your mom's recipe and make muffins.
posted by palliser at 8:48 AM on March 29 [2 favorites]

Peanut butter!
posted by fontophilic at 9:37 AM on March 29

I'm going to work the phrase "will stretch your banana," into casual conversation. I often peel & chunk, then freeze ripe bananas. That would buy you a few weeks to wait for another overripe banana.
posted by chairface at 9:57 AM on March 29

If I halve the recipe, I'll have less yummy things in my life. Why would I do that?
posted by Helga-woo at 10:01 AM on March 29 [4 favorites]

2nd adding applesauce
posted by Black_Umbrella at 10:06 AM on March 29

chunks of pineapple and nuts!
posted by subatomiczoo at 10:15 AM on March 29

Sour cream!
posted by karizma at 10:17 AM on March 29

Seconding sour cream! :-) Yum... Also, coat your pans in sugar instead of flour before baking. It gives your bread a nice sweet crust.

Darn it, now I want banana bread. Thanks a lot. ;-)
posted by CrazyGabby at 10:59 AM on March 29

A new (ageing if you can find it) banana?
posted by Idcoytco at 12:38 PM on March 29 [1 favorite]

Chocolate chips!
posted by valkyryn at 2:36 PM on March 29 [1 favorite]

Well, now I have banana bread.

Go bake fellow citizens, you too may taste banana glory!

I stretched my banana by using two apples. I contemplated adding something a bit of something else like sour cream or yogurt as well, but unfortunately by the time I'd got round to leaving the house to buy eggs, only the little crappy corner shop was still open, and they do not stock such fine things.

The resultant bread is satisfyingly bananary, and applely. Which is a win-win my book. It's a little too moist and a little on the sweet side, which I suspected might happen as I used eating apples, but still yummy.

Coating the pans in sugar is a very fine suggestion, I will try it next time.

I was intrigued by the idea of pumpkin, but you should know that this side of the pond, pumpkins are mostly just a decoration for the end of October. However, if I'd had a squash of some sort lying around I might have added some.

Happy munching!
posted by Helga-woo at 3:18 PM on March 29

For future reference, cardamom, I have found, really livens up a banana bread.
posted by Dr. Wu at 4:14 PM on March 29

Coating the pans in sugar is a very fine suggestion, I will try it next time

Also consider sprinkling brown sugar on top. Not to much, maybe a tablespoon's worth for the top of a loaf pan.
posted by silkygreenbelly at 5:05 PM on March 29