banana & pecan bread

mix and the boys wanted to eat cake batter so they persuaded me to bake some banana and pecan bread.

i used prue leith's banana bread recipe from her cookery bible, varying it by doubling the amount of bananas, and adding 150g of pecans instead of 100g walnuts.  it's dead easy - put the oven on at 180C, butter a loaf dish.  i used the silicone type which just needs buttering.  if you're planning to use a loaf tin i'd advise you line it with baking paper.  and then as you're melting 85g of butter in the microwave at high for about a minute, measure out 100g brown sugar.  mash 4 bananas with a fork beat in 2 eggs, the sugar and butter.  measure out 200g plain flour, mix in 3 teaspoons baking powder and a quarter teaspoon of bicarb of soda.  tip this into the wet mix and stir until well mixed and then add the pecans.  scrape into the buttered loaf mould or lined loaf tin and hand over the mixing bowl and spatula and wooden spoons to the children.  loulou always shakes his head askance and tells us we are going to get sore tummies, but we never do.  or if the children do, they've never told me.

if you love chocolate and banana i don't see why you couldn't improve the recipe to include 100g of chocolate chips.  some of my children love chocolate and some don't so the ones who do slather chocolate spread on their slice of banana bread.

it takes round about 35-45 minutes in the middle shelf of a fan assisted oven.  the recipe says an hour but i find that mine is ready in less.  when a knife comes out clean from the middle and the top is a nice brown colour, take it out and cover tightly with foil.  i find that this keeps the loaf moist.  when it's completely cooled down, tip out of the mould ready to slice.