With the continuation of our current campaign of "Good Food. Good Mood." we are sharing a recipe for banana bread. Who does not love a good slice of a moist banana bread with a cup of Earl Grey tea?
Bananas have numerous health benefits on their own, as they are incredibly high in antioxidants which has the possibility to add to good health. They are also very low in calories, with the average banana only containing approximately 105 calories
(according to University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine). Furthermore, they have the ability to keep you feeling full throughout the day if eaten as a snack.
Banana bread is made with sugar, butter, eggs, flour and sometime icing sugar if decorated on top. Therefore, banana bread often overshadows the incredible benefits of bananas themselves, as banana bread is high in sugars and concentrated carbohydrates. However, if a slice of banana bread is incorporated into a well-balanced diet then it is fine. Moderation is key when consuming foods which are high in sugars and carbohydrates.
Banana Bread Recipe
This recipe was given to us by one of our amazing CAPITAL Members and it is deliciously moist and tasty. You can cut the loaf in half and freeze a portion of it if you wish, however, do not be surprised if you find it is all gone before! If you do decide to freeze a portion of the banana bread then make sure you do not add any drizzle icing before freezing. It is perfect for a treat, coffee catch-ups or a little pick-me-up whilst at work!
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
150g softened and a little extra to grease the loaf tin.
150g of self-raising flour
150g of caster sugar
2 large beaten eggs
2 very overripened bananas mashed (try adding some cinnamon spice whilst mashing for an extra kick!)
1 tsp of baking powder
75g of icing sugar for the drizzle icing (optional)
Method:
Step One: Preheat you oven to 160C fan / 180C for a conventional oven / Gas Mark 4
Step Two: Using some of the extra butter, butter the inside of a loaf tin (ideally a 2lb) and then cover with some baking parchment to stop the bread sticking to the tin as it cools.
Step Three: Either by hand or using a machine mixer, cream the butter and caster sugar together and slowly add the beaten eggs to the mix. If the mixture looks like it is too wet add a little bit of the flour to it.
Step Four: Fold the remaining flour into the mixture and then add the mashed bananas and the baking powder; continue to fold until it is well incorporated.
Step Five: Carefully pour the mixture into the loaf tin which you prepared earlier. Using a spatula to make sure you add all of the mixture on the sides. Then place the loaf tin into your preheated oven for approximately 55 minutes, but check after 40 minutes with a skewer of a butter knife to check if the loaf is baked fully all the way through. If the skewer or knife inserts easily and comes out clean with no mixture on it then it is ready to be removed as it is fully baked. However, the variables of the oven's temperature and the loaf tin itself will either increase or decrease baking time, so keep checking until the banana bread is fully baked and the skewer or knife is inserted and removed cleanly.
Step Six: Allow the bread to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then gently remove from the tin and place the banana bread to cool completely.
Step Seven (Optional): Mix icing sugar with two-to-three tsp's of water and mix into a running icing; then drizzle over the banana bread. Make sure you do this when the banana bread has cooled completely otherwise the icing will simply melt into a sugary mess.
If you do happen to make this dish then please send it to our socials or post it using the hashtag #CAPITALProjectDish we would love to see it!
*Diet is a personal and it should be tailored to individuals. Diet must work for you and only you. CAPITAL Project Trust is not a specialist charity who has resources to support people who may be suffering with food anxiety or eating disorders.
If you are struggling with such issues then please contact BEAT Helpline which is open 365 Days at: https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk BEAT is the UK's Charity which specialises in support to people who are suffering from food anxiety and eating disorders and can actively advocate on their behalf.
For further information on diet, healthy and balanced lifestyles, follow some of the links below:
1. NHS Eat Well www.nhs.uk/live-well/eat-well/how-to-eat-a-balanced-diet/
2. British Nutrition Foundation www.nutrition.org.uk/…/healthy-and…/a-healthy-balanced-diet/
3. World Health Foundation www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/healthy-diet
Food Anxiety, Eating Disorder and Related Symptoms Support:
BEAT - Helpline Open 365 Days https://www.beateatingdisorders.org.uk *