Banana Coconut Bread
In an attempt to clean out our freezer, I was faced with a common delima. What do I do with these frozen bananas? Sure, I could have just thrown them back into the freezer where they’d sit for who knows how long. But I decided instead to bake with them.
I decided by coworkers would appreciate some banana bread to go with their coffee in the morning, so I started flipping through some cookbooks. I’ve really been trying to use my cookbooks more frequently. I have a tendency to just go straight to my Google Reader or other online avenues for finding recipes.
I opted for this recipe from Joanne Chang’s Flour. Her recipes are always a hit. My Go-To Chocolate Cupcake Recipe is from her. And she beat out Bobby Flay on Throwdown for her sticky buns.
As expected, this recipe yielded a moist, flavorful banana bread. Since I didn’t have any nuts on hand, I tossed in some toasted coconut instead. The coconut provided a unique texture and a subtle hint of coconut. One of my coworkers told me the banana bread was delicious. After having a second piece, he came and said “it’s not just delicious, it’s exquisite!”
One Year Ago: Blackberry Raspberry Pie Bars and My Go-To Chocolate Cupcake Recipe
Three Years Ago: Steak Fajitas with Chimichurri and Drunken Peppers
Four Years Ago: Crispy Yogurt Chicken and Lime Meltaways
Five Years Ago: BBQ Dip and Cookies and Cream Cupcakes – Take 2
I am submitting this for this month’s What’s Baking, hosted by Jenna of Jenna’s Cooking Journey. This month’s theme was Quickbreads!
Banana Coconut Bread
Banana bread gets a unique twist with the addition of toasted coconut.
Yield: Serves 12
Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 Tbsp sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup toasted coconut
Directions:
Set oven to 350F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes.
Drizzle in oil.
Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and coconut.
Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Recipe adapted from Joanne Chang's Flour
I am Jen the Beantown Baker. Engineer by day and baking maven by night. Hubby serves as my #1 fan and official taste tester. We got hitched back in 2006. Barefoot. In the sand. With the waves crashing behind us. It was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. 
These pancakes look perfect! I don’t make pancakes that often, but this mix would be an easy throw together to keep in the freezer. Yum!
Great idea to freeze the mix. I have been making our pancake batter from scratch for a while now, and it’s nearly impossible to go back to the boxed stuff! They just taste flavorless and cardboard-y. I had been reluctant to make mix ahead of time because I didn’t want it to go bad. Thanks for the idea!
What a great idea to have a homemade pancake mix on hand!
A good substitute for buttermilk – since most of us don’t keep it on hand, but do have milk in the fridge:
1 TBS white vinegar with enough milk added to make 1 cup. Allowed to sit for at least ten minutes, this mixture will clot up and mimic buttermilk sufficiently for most recipes.
Those pancakes look amazing!! Oh my goodness.
i think it is a great idea about freezing milk, too. I buy whole milk for baking only so I need to do that.
Wow. Those look so good I might have to whip some up…..like…NOW.
http://www.simplysweeter.blogspot.com
You can also use lemon juice instead of vinegar in the substitute for buttermilk provided by Nancy.
One thing to note about this recipe though. Not only is the buttermilk needed for the chemical reaction, but it also provides a great flavor to the pancakes that I don’t think you get from using the substitute. Also, buttermilk will keep for a very long time in the fridge since it’s acidic.
AB mentioned in his cookbook that there are only four thinks he will not make without buttermilk: cornbread, biscuits, waffles, and pancakes. I tend to agree with him.
What a great idea to make your own pancake mix and then when you want quick pancakes, you can have a healthy mix 🙂
Mmm, these look way better than a mix! Great tip to store the mix in the freezer too!
Yum! I love blueberry ‘anything’. Alton Brown recipes are always winners. If you’re looking for an even healthier pancake recipe, check out my ‘fluffy whole wheat pancakes’ on my blog. I mix batches of the dry ingredients and keep them in the freezer. Thanks for posting – I’m off to buy some blueberries! Oh, and I’m a new follower 🙂
These pancakes look amazing!! Bookmarked!
Hey Jen I am eating these pancakes at this very moment. They are so fluffy and filling! May I borrow this recipe for my blog and link it back to you??