Easy Eggless Banana Walnut Bread

Every time I go to a bakery, one thing that attracts me is Banana Walnut Bread and I always give in to the craving. A good book, a mug of coffee and a slice of Banana Walnut bread is all you need on a lazy evening. 

Thanks to motherhood, I am confined to the house these days. Few days ago, as the children went off to sleep late afternoon, I craved for that book-coffee-banana walnut bread moment. And so, the hunt began for the easy eggless recipe. 

Since I baked this bread late at night, I got to enjoy it only the next morning. I then realised that it makes for an excellent breakfast on the go. Unlike the original recipe, I used 100% wholewheat flour and was very impressed by the outcome. Also, I suggest vanilla essence if you don't like the aroma of ripe eggs (Mr. Hubby doesn't!)

The bread lasts 2-3 days if stored in an airtight container, but I can assure you it turns out to be so yum that it will get finished in a day!

Ingredients

Ripe Banana - 2 No.

Walnuts - 1/4 Cup, chopped

Castor Sugar - 5 tbsp

Melted Butter (I used salted) - 1/4 Cup

Vanilla Essence - 1 tsp (optional)

Wholewheat Flour/Atta - 3/4 Cup

Baking Soda - 3/4 tsp

Warm milk - 1/4 Cup or as required

Method

1. In a blender jar, take the banana pieces and castor sugar and blend together into a fine paste.

2. In a mixing bowl, take the melted butter. Add the mashed banana-sugar mixture, vanilla essence and beat well into a smooth and light mixture. Wet ingredients are ready.

3. Sieve together the wholewheat flour and baking soda. Dry ingredients are ready.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently to mix the ingredients. Do not over mix.

5. Add the chopped walnuts and fold slightly.

6. Transfer the batter to a greased and dusted loaf tin and tap the tin once or twice to let the batter spread evenly.

7. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 180 degree centigrade for 35 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.

8. Cool for 5-10 minutes. Then loosen the sides using a knife and demould.

9. Let the bread cool for 10-15 minutes. Then, slice and serve at breakfast or tea time.

Look how soft it is...

Bon Appetit!

Easy Eggless Flower Bread

This flower bread happened by chance! I was desperate to bake my own bread. However, I had not yet purchased a loaf tin, nor did I have a big baking tray (haven't yet found a round one for my microwave). But, when there is a will there is a way. So, we baked it in our flower shaped aluminium cake tin!

With this bread, I resumed baking after 14 years. Read more about it here.

This bread is ideal for tea time. Blame it on our excitement, we enjoyed it with a generous layer of butter and it vanished from the table in few minutes! Despite all the hard work, all I got of the bread was one petal. But that also proves the bread was indeed yum.

Well, without anymore bak bak, let me get onto the recipe.

Ingredients (Made a six petal flower bread)

All purpose flour/Maida - 1 Cup 

Instant Dry Yeast - 1 tsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Salt - 3/4 tsp

Lukewarm milk - 1/2 Cup

Lukewarm water - 1/2 Cup

Clarified butter/Desi Ghee - 1 tbsp + 1/2 tbsp for brushing

Milk - 2 tbsp, for milkwash

Method 

1. In a bowl, take sugar, yeast and add lukewarm water. Cover and rest for 10 minutes for the yeast to activate. Do not move or uncover the bowl while resting. Also, the water should be lukewarm. Too hot or cold water won't activate the yeast and the bread won't rise.

After 10 minutes, the yeast rose and looked like this. 

2. In a separate vessel (since I don't have a big working board, my humble Paraat which I used to knead the chapati dough came handy) take the maida.

3. Add the salt and mix well.

4. Knead a soft dough using lukewarm milk. Preparing the dough is an important step and thankfully, my MIL volunteers for the job and completes it to perfection. She knead the dough for a good 7-8 minutes. The dough started sticking but she continued to knead and we eventually got a soft dough.

5. Add 1 tbsp desi ghee and knead the dough well so that the ghee gets absorbed. This gives a very soft texture to the bread. In fact, we do this even with our chapati dough. Make the dough into a ball. 

6. Cover the dough with a moist cloth and keep in a warm place undisturbed for 2 hours to prove. 

Our dough doubled beautifully after 2 hours.

7. Take the dough in the Paraat and knock off the excess air. 

8. Grease the tin.

9. Put the dough in the greased tin and make small cuts with scissors to give the shape of petals. 

10. Cover with a damp cloth and keep for proving for another 30 minutes.

11. Give milk wash.

12. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes.

13. Loosen the sides with a knife and smear ghee while the bread is still hot.

14. Cool for 15 minutes. Cut into petals and enjoy with butter!