Nana Banana

Banana Muffins

It's difficult to talk about what made me want to make these muffins, because I can't remember what life was like before I knew they existed. I just know it was worse.. Much MUCH worse..

They weren't supposed to mean anything to me.. They were the one night stand of baking, with whom you fall in love and one day you tell the story of how you met to your grandchildren. I was making proper Russian Borsh (I'll post about it later in the week), and I thought, wouldn't it be nice to have banana bread to have for tea and for breakfast. Banana bread really means home to me- and that seems to be my most often used reason for baking things.

Unfortunately, I only have 2 loaf tins, a teeny one and a farm sized one. Neither of those would do for this loaf. So the decision was quickly made to make muffins instead. Also, I used wholewheat flour for these instead of cake flour (residual guilt from not using wholewheat flour in the pumpkin pancakes last week) so that they were a bit more healthy. It was the greatest decision I ever made. Picture tears in my eyes when I tell you, these muffins are the ones for me.

Banana Muffins
From The Ultimate Book of Baking by Heilie Pienaar

125 g unsalted butter
200 g sugar
2 extra large eggs
280g wholewheat flour
5 ml baking powder
2 ml salt
5 ml bicarbonate of soda
100 ml milk
1 cup mashed bananas (I used 4 small ones)
30 ml fresh lemon juice
5 ml vanilla essence

1) Preheat over to 180 C.
2) Cream butter and sugar
3) Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
4) Whisk the wholewheat flour, baking powder, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a bowl.
5) Add the milk, about half at a time, alternately with the flour mixture, to the butter mixture, mix thoroughly in between.
6) Add the lemon juice to the bananas and add to the mixture, along with the vanilla essence. Mix well.
7) Turn into either a 23 cm loaf pan (and send me pictures) or into a muffin tin - it makes about 16 muffins. The loaf cooks for 50 - 55 minutes, and the muffins 15 - 20 minutes.

Ralph taught me the way to eat banana muffins. He cuts them in half, and toasts them in the oven (I like to put them in the microwave for 10 seconds too) and carefully smears on some marge.. And for breakfast, lunch and supper (I can't help it- I think about them all the time) you're in heaven.. Probably why they never last. Next time I'm definitely making some to freeze!