This was one of those nights when I had a non-specific baking itch. I had no idea how to channel the whisking urge until I spotted the overripe bananas on the counter, then this recipe from Delish leapt out at me. Who was I to argue with a leaping recipe and some brown bananas?
I was also happy for the chance to use my latest acquisition: a digital food scale. The recipe called for 5.35 ounces of all purpose flour. Of course I swapped that out for whole wheat white AND used wheat germ for a third of it, just to make the math challenging.
I should have just used the mixing bowl, but I love my glass bowls, they look like the ones on all the cooking shows on tv. Wasteful perhaps, but esthetically pleasing nonetheless.
I dumped that into a mixing bowl, added baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and whisked.
Next step was creaming the peanut butter and sugar together, foregoing butter entirely. I got to use another new baking tool for the first time.
It may not look impressive (although it does to me), but it’s an ideal tool for scooping out peanut butter without then ALSO having to scrape out the spoon to get it into the bowl. With my new scooper in hand, I plopped the peanut butter into the mixing bowl and added the sugar.
I mixed until it had truly become something new (and greater than the sum of its parts, although as parts go, peanut butter and sugar are pretty fabulous).
I added in the bananas, mashed with love and nine-year-old boy energy by Nathaniel, who suggested we add an extra one to make it more “banana-y”.
I beat that in along with two eggs, lightly beaten by Nathaniel who loves being on egg duty. Usually he just cracks them, but now he’s moved up a step to lightly beating them with a whisk.
I took the bowl out of the mixer stand, and stirred the dry ingredients in by hand. Okay, by spatula.
I know, I’m still having shadow & lighting issues. I’m working on it.
I poured the batter into a loaf pan, and sprinkled some turbinado sugar on top.
The baking instructions were a little unusual. I baked for 40 minutes (not 45, as specified), then covered it loosely with foil, and baked it for another 15. Weird, right? And yet, it all turned out great.
It smelled wonderful, and once I cut it open, I saw that it was baked perfectly, with a soft crumb, moist texture, and delicious peanut butter and banana flavor. So good!
(And only 4 P+ per slice, too.)
PEANUT BUTTER AND BANANA BREAD RECIPE (original)
My version of Peanut Butter and Banana Bread (adapted from Delish)
ingredients:
3.35 ounces whole wheat white flour
2 ounces toasted wheat germ
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup Skippy Natural Creamy peanut butter
2/3 cup cane sugar
4 medium/large ripe bananas, mashed
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
directions:
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease or spray a 5 x 9 loaf pan.
Using a whisk, mix the flour, wheat germ, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg well. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer, cream the peanut butter and sugar together until fluffy. Beat in the mashed bananas and the beaten eggs. Mix well.
Take the bowl away from the mixer and add in the flour, stirring with a spatula just until incorporated.
Pour the batter into the loaf pan and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.
Bake for 40 minutes, then loosely cover with foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes.
Let cool in the pan for another ten minutes, then invert onto a wire rack.
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