Friday, April 25, 2008

Vegan Coconut-Banana Bread

So, I want to say that our oven exploded. I really, really want to say that our oven exploded. Unfortunately, it didn't; I'm just a bit too fond of hyperbole. What it did do was start shooting large sparks from the temperature gauge.
So we didn't have an oven (or a stove!) for about a week. When we finally got the new one installed, I ran downstairs from bed, literally more excited than I get on Christmas morning. It's beautiful. It's new. It's even got, I kid you not, a Sabbath setting! (Set it before the sun goes down, and the next day at the set time it will bake your food, so that you don't have to work, a.k.a. turn on the oven, on the Sabbath. AMAZING).
Yesterday was busy, but today my one class was canceled, so I woke up at a scarily early time and made this bread, which I fully intent to feed to my housemates, with french press, when they wake up.

Vegan Coconut-Banana Bread
I cobbled this banana bread together from many sources, and a couple of vegan resource sites (thank you, Post Punk Kitchen). I used whole wheat flour to make it heartier, which I think is key, since the whole thing is rather rich. I found the whole thing almost too sweet, given the richness of it, so consider cutting back the sugar if that sort of thing appeals to you.
Mine also took a stunningly long time to bake (an HOUR and A HALF!), which I'm still trying to figure out. It pretty much perfect after that long, though, so don't be weirded out if yours needs that long, too. Although I would definitely recommend checking it at the half hour and hour marks.

3 large bananas
2 Tablespoons bourbon (or rum, or...)
2 Tablespoons soymilk
2 cups flour (1 c. whole wheat flour & 1 c. white)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 (ish) teaspoon salt
1/2 c. Earth Balance
1 c. dehydrated cane sugar
1 c. unsweetened dried shredded coconut
Optional: 1 Tablespoon demerara sugar, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1 teaspoon cinnamon

- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a bread loaf pan (ohhhh, 5 x 9?)
- Mush bananas. Mix with bourbon and soymilk.
- Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Cream EB and sugar.
- Add flour and banana mixtures, alternating between the two until well-blended. Mix in coconut.
- I sprinkled some demerara sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon on top after it had been in for half an hour (I was going to put the spices in the batter, but completely spaced it)
- Bake for 1 1/2 hours (see note above), or until a toothpick/fork inserted in it comes out clean.

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