Since I had some time to kill and bananas to use, I decided to give the concept of crock pot banana bread a try. After reviewing several recipes I used this recipe from the Crock-Pot Ladies because it didn't include shortening or corn syrup. I don't cook with with either of them and wasn't going to go buy some just for a test batch of banana bread. Another plus for this one: it didn't specifically ask me to "cream" anything together. In my brain "creaming" stuff together means getting out the mixer, and I just wasn't ready for that level of commitment.
The Recipe
The mixture is dead simple:- 2 eggs
- 1/2c butter, softened
- 1c sugar
- 2c flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 medium bananas mashed
- Optional: 1c chopped walnuts or other add-in of choice
The steps are even easier:
- Combine eggs, sugar, and butter in a mixing bowl.
- Add 1c of the flour and the remaining dry ingredients. Stir until just mixed.
- Add the banana and remaining flour, stir until just mixed.
- Fold in your add-ins.
- Find a dish that will fit in your crock-pot. Grease it, pour in your batter, and place it into the crock-pot. If you can't find a dish that will fit then grease the sides of your crock and pour the batter right in.
- Cook it (see details below) with the lid just barely lifted so moisture can escape. I used a toothpick underneath the edge of the lid. If you don't have the lid lifted moisture will condense on the lid and drop back down on your bread. No bueno.
The Results
Here's where things got a little off track. Not in a bad way, just in a "this is stuff you need to know" way. The recipe I used said to cook 4 hours on low and that the bread was done when a toothpick inserted in the middle came out clean. You know, just like you check any other cakey substance when baking...
Many of the other recipes I read said 4 hours on low or 2 hours on high, so I opted for 2 hours on high. Mainly because I wanted to eat some bread before practice. Had I used a different container (or just poured the batter directly into the crock) I'm confident that 2 hours on high would have been fine. Unfortunately, the only container I could find that would fit into my crock was a stainless steel mixing bowl. It's way deeper in the middle than on the sides so after 2 hours on high my edges were getting done but the middle was just barely starting to cook. I'm talking still wet as pudding. No hot banana bread before practice for me =(
Never one to be daunted, I just turned the timer on for longer and went on about my business. When I got home the edges were just on the verge of overdone and the middle was still a touch too moist (see the first picture of the post). At this point every cell in my body was screaming for banana bread so I decided enough was enough, I was all out of patience, and I would sooner risk salmonella than cook the blasted thing any longer. It had been going for 6 hours and that was all I was willing to wait. I turned off the heat and pulled out the bowl to cool on the stove. I heated up some leftovers and went through the motions of eating "dinner" so I could get onto the business of eating my dessert.
I probably didn't let everything cool long enough. To be honest, I don't really care. I slid a flexible spatula around the edges of my bread, topped the bowl with a plate, and turned it over so I could remove my creation from its confines. It plopped out well enough but the very bottom (or top?) tore off and stayed in the bowl. I reached in and grabbed a piece of that almost-too-brown edge. It wasn't crispy, or crunchy, and certainly wasn't (as I feared) burnt. It was... chewy. Chewy like the edge of a good brownie. As a brownie edge aficionado I was pleased. And hopeful.
Above that brown edge was the warm steamy bread I'd waited far too long to try. Despite the extended cooking time it was still extremely moist. In a good way. The bread was also hefty. Substantial but no where near the dense "lead log of doom" you sometimes get with homemade breads (or fruitcake). Just the right amount of sweet and banana for my taste. In other words, I ate almost every scrap of banana bread that stuck to the bottom of the bowl. And if given the choice I'd do it again.
Just to make sure I wasn't fooling myself into thinking this was a success, I made the other householders give it a try. Thumbs up from the roommate and a surprised "I think this might be the best banana bread I've had" from the husband. The final seal of approval came from the cat. Yes: even the cat enjoyed this banana bread.
