Banana Bread

One of the easiest meals to prepare when entertaining is brunch. Having guests over for Sunday brunch can be a relaxing time for everyone. There are so many brunch recipes that you can prepare in advance, so you can spend more time visiting with your guests. Banana bread is always a favorite addition to any brunch. Banana bread is easy to make and has many variations. Banana bread is a recipe that you can involve children in making. They can peel and mash the bananas. Because the majority of the ingredients in banana bread are soft the mixing can easily be done by hand, so you do not have to worry about small hands getting into the mixer. The clean up after making a batch of banana bread is easy also because most of the recipes are one bowl mixtures.

One of the tastiest ways of doing a variation on banana bread is to add chocolate chips into the batter right before you pour it into the pans. The taste of chocolate blends well and they hold their shape in the banana bread. Many people add chopped walnuts to their banana bread, but you should do this only if you are certain that all of your guests are free from nut allergies. If you are really pressed for time you can make banana bread in a bread machine. Just add the ingredients in the order listed. Most bread machines come with recipes for quick breads. For something different you can place the banana bread mixture into muffin tins and make banana muffins.

For those that are watching their fat intake there are several recipes for reduced fat banana bread that is still moist and tasty. Often times you can purchase over ripe bananas for a fraction of the cost. You can buy several bunches and freeze them. They are very easy to freeze simply peel and mash the amount you need for the recipe you are using and freeze in an air tight container or plastic bag. Then the next time you are going to make banana bread simply place the thawed bananas in it. Prepared banana bread also freezes very well. When you are making a loaf make a few extras and wrap them well and freeze. Banana bread also makes a nice hostess gift to take along when invited to someone else’s home.

Banana bread is easy to make, enjoyed by most people and easy to have on hand because it freezes well. Next time you are in the produce section pick up a couple of extra bananas to make a loaf or two of banana bread.