Banana Bread
What you need
2-3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup of sugar (can easily use 3/4 cup, or drop it down to 1/2 cup if you want it less sweet)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
Method
Preheat the oven at 175°C and butter a 4x8 inch loaf pan.
In a mixing bowl mash the ripe bananas with a fork until smooth.
Stir in melted butter into the mashed bananas.
Mix in baking soda and salt.
Stir in the sugar, the beaten egg and vanilla extract and then mix the flour.
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes.
*Pro Tip: Check in 50 minutes at 175°C or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove it from the oven, set aside on a rack and allow it to cool completely. Remove the banana bread from the pan. Slice and serve.
Garlic Bread
What you need
1 bake-at-home or sourdough loaf
Garlic cloves (4-8), diced or pressed
Olive oil, butter, or your favorite buttery spread
Italian parsley, finely chopped
Pecorino Romano or parmesan, finely grated
Sea salt
Method
Preheat the oven at 475°C.
Cut open the readymade loaf and cut it into two halves, horizontally.
Brush olive oil or spread butter on each loaf half.
Top each half with chopped or pressed garlic, and Italian parsley. Add a sprinkle of sea salt on each side.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes, then turn oven to broil and bake another 1-2 minutes or until top is golden brown.
*Pro Tip: Slice into strips and sprinkle pecorino Romano or parmesan on top and you are good to go.
Sourdough
What you need
2 cups proofed sourdough starter
1 tablespoon butter
1⁄2 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
3 cups white bread flour
Ingredients
375g of strong white flour, plus extra for dusting
250g sourdough starter (recipe given below)
7.5g salt
130-175ml tepid water
Olive oil, for kneading
Method
Combine the flour, *starter and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add water few ml at a time and mix it in with your hands to make the dough. Coat a flat surface with olive oil, place the dough onto it and knead it for 10-15 minutes, until the dough is smooth.
Place the dough into a lightly oiled bowl and cover it with cling film. Set aside in a warm place for five hours or till it rises to double the size.
Now knead the dough again until it is smooth and elastic in consistency. Then roll the entire dough into a ball and dust it with flour. Place the dough into a well-floured round Banneton basket and leave to rise for 4-8 hours.
Preheat the oven to 220°C. Place the risen dough onto a lined baking tray. Bake the loaf for 30 minutes at 220°C. Remove from oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
*A sourdough starter is how we cultivate the wild yeast in a form that we can use for baking. Since wild yeast are present in all flour, the easiest way to make a starter is simply by combining flour and water and letting it sit for several days.
Wheat Bread
Ingredients
3 cups warm water
2 packages active dry yeast
1/3 cup honey
5 cups bread flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup honey
Method
Combine 5 cups of white bread flour, warm water, yeast, 1/3 cup honey in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine the mixture. Set aside in a warm corner and let it set for 30 minutes or until it rises to double its size.
Mix in 3 tablespoons of melted butter in 1/3 cup of honey and salt. Add 2 cups whole wheat flour. Now flour a flat surface and knead the entire mixture with whole wheat flour until it turns slightly sticky. This may take an additional 2 to 4 cups of whole wheat flour.
Once the dough is ready, nice and elastic in consistency, place it in a greased bowl and set aside. Cover with a dishtowel. Set aside and let it rise in a warm place until it doubles up in size.
Knead the dough again and gently place it into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350°C for 25 to 30 minutes. Lightly brush the loaves with melted butter. Remove from oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack.
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Written by Khubi Amin Ahmed on 17th Nov 2015