I was looking at some pretty ripe bananas yesterday.  Really ripe; as in use them right now or throw them away really ripe.

I decided to use them.

Fortunately, the latest issue of Cooking Light magazine was sitting here.  The cover picture was – banana bread.

Banana bread is one of those things I just tend to throw together.  I’ve made it enough times over the years that I have a recipe memorized.  But…  I’m always willing to look at ideas.

There was a recipe for a Bananas Foster Bread that looked promising.  Cook the bananas with some butter, brown sugar and brandy before mixing everything together?  Sounds like a plan.

I tweaked the ingredients a bit (what a shock!) by adding wheat bran in place of ground flax seed and lots more spices. We ended up with a really good dessert – and possible breakfast!

Bananas Foster Bread

  • 2 cups mashed ripe banana
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
  • 5 tbsp butter, melted
  • 3 tbsp brandy or dark rum
  • 1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup wheat bran
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/4 tsp ginger
  • pinch nutmeg
  • Cooking spray

Glaze:

  • 1/3 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tbsp butter, melted
  • 1 tbsp brandy or dark rum

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, butter, and brandy in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place banana mixture in a large bowl. Add yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs. Beat with a mixer at medium speed.

3. Combine flour, wheat bran, soda, salt, cinnamon allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.

4. Combine melted butter, brandy, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.

It may be the first time I haven’t used walnuts or pecans in my banana bread.  It worked quite well without them, but would work equally well with.  Add ’em if ya have ’em.

And the glaze really makes it special.  That little amount of butter with the brandy made for the perfect finish.