BANANA BREAD

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Photos and Recipe by Chef Jessica Hallam

This month I’m sharing one of my favorite recipes to make for my kids. During these cold months, I love to make big batches of this bread for breakfasts or afterschool snacks.

There are a few things that make this banana bread special. The first is that I make it with dark brown sugar. It gives the bread a deep, rich flavor. I also add ground cinnamon and top the bread with cinnamon sugar. The cinnamon sugar caramelizes and gives the top a nice crunch. I hope you love it as much as we do!

Ingredients

1 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract
4-5 bananas, mashed well
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

Topping

1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon


Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease either two small bread pans or one large (9”x5”).
3. Combine brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla. In a separate bowl mash the bananas thoroughly. My kids prefer no      clumps. Add the bananas to the rest of the liquid ingredients.
4. In a bowl combine flour, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the liquid mixture. Mix only until just                  combined. Do not overmix.
5. Pour batter into desired bread pans.
6. Bake the smaller pans for 25-35 minutes or the large pan for 45-50 minutes. Check until a toothpick comes
    out clean.
7. Let cool, then slice.
8. Leftovers can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days (if it lasts that long!)