Not Healthy: Banana Bread Beer Banana Bread Recipe

You might have needed a few passes to get through that title. It is a banana bread made with banana bread-flavored beer. So it's basically bread made with beer that tastes like the bread it is making. The beer used for this particular recipe is Well's Banana Bread Beer, which tastes pretty much identical to what banana bread would taste like in liquid form. It is a fairly sweet beer, which makes it too sweet for my drinking preferences but it makes an excellent, moist, super banana-y bread. So while regular banana bread can be a semi-healthy, this banana bread recipe is less healthy. However, it will really impress banana bread fans.

This recipe will work as one large loaf or multiple smaller loafs. The smaller the loaf the quicker it will bake so adjust baking time accordingly.

Banana Bread Beer Banana Bread Recipe

Details:

Serves: Lots.
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 40-50 minutes
Cooling time: 20 minutes

Equipment:

• Oven
• Kitchen utensils, mixing bowls, measuring spoons and cups
• Bread pan(s)
• Cooling rack (optional)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 12 oz. bottle of Wells Banana Bread Beer (or one 500ml bottle and drink 4 oz.)
• 3 ripe bananas
• 4 tbsp butter
• Cooking spray (or extra butter to grease pans)
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Apply cooking spray (or butter) to bread pan(s) to grease the inside.
3. Melt butter in microwave, approximately 30 seconds.
4. Coarsely chop walnuts if not purchased pre-chopped. 
5. In large mixing bowl, mix flour, walnuts, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
6. In another medium or large mixing bowl, mash bananas to smooth consistency. Add vanilla, half of the melted butter and all of the beer. 
7. Combine contents of both bowls into the largest bowl. Stir until combined to an even texture and wetness. The banana may break up but not meld smoothly. This is ok. Avoid over-working the dough to prevent activating gluten.
8. Spoon dough into bread pan(s). Ideally you want the top of the dough just below the top of the bread pan(s).
9. Bake 40-50 minutes. Check at 40 minutes by sticking middle of loaf with toothpick or knife. If it comes out clean, it is done. If not, continue to bake 5 minutes and recheck. Continue to bake and recheck every five minutes until done.
10. Once baking is complete, remove from oven and transfer loaf from the bread pan to a cooling rack (or at least a cool surface). Cool 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

Options:

I don't think the recipe requires chocolate, which is sometimes found in banana bread, but if you want to add chocolate chips then 1/2 cup will get you a nice chocolate flavor without overwhelming the banana.

You can try other beers for different flavors but they won't give you as much banana flavor. Brown ales, bocks, porters and dunkelweizens would be interesting substitutions. Avoid anything too hoppy as cooking down the bittering compounds can make an intensely bitter food.