One sad, overripe banana. Is it time to toss it? Nope. You can make banana bread with this baby.
This post started with a question that I had, which went like so: "what the heck can I do with one overripe banana?". I mean, overrripe bananas are a known Good Thing in baking; they are the stuff that makes Hummingbird cake, banana bread, basically anything banana and baked. But usually, these recipes employ 2-3 or even 4 bananas. What good is just one?
But I didn't want to throw out this banana, which was rapidly progressing from brown to black, and so I set out to do some research. I found a pretty good-looking recipe for banana muffins employing just one banana, and I thought, well, why not just make banana bread instead of muffins? That way, I can, you know, just have one dish to clean, and not have to spoon the batter into individual cups (can you tell I was in a lazy mood?).
Well, to my great joy, the recipe turned out great. In spite of the fact that it contains a mere one banana, this bread is rich in banana flavor, and tastes awesome. It's perfect with butter for breakfast, even better (in my opinion) with peanut butter as a snack.
So if you find yourself with just one banana, make this easy bread. It is short and dense (I didn't add leavening!) but it's awesome in its simplicity. You'll love it.
Banana bread with just one banana
Printable version here - INGREDIENTS
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1 cup light brown sugar
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 egg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup nuts (I used almonds), optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease a 9x5 loaf pan.
In a saucepan, melt the butter with the brown sugar. Remove from heat once melty, and let it sit for a few moments.
Then, add the mashed banana, egg, and milk. Stir to combine. Add the flour and salt, and mix until just incorporated. Fold in the nuts, if using.
Pour the mixture into the prepped loaf pan, and place it on the middle rack in your oven. Bake for 25 minutes, rotating at 15 minutes or so, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and place the pan on a wire rack to cool. Once cooled to warm, slice and serve.
Enjoy! Go Banana!