Fall is for Baking!

Anyone else have an irresistible urge to bake this time of year? I always pop overripe bananas in the freezer in their skin then thaw them and squeeze out the banana (toothpaste style) when I am ready to bake this banana bread. I added 1/4 cup of wheat germ in the batter and sprinkled a bit on top to boost the nutritional value. Add in pecans grown on a family tree, and you've got a treat you don't have to feel quite so badly about!

BBA Unite!!!

This post is for fellow members of the Supreme Order of Bread Bakers Anonymous. I have discovered a wonderful secret for members only. (Okay...my mom discovered the secret.) After sampling the Mother Earth News bread I'm currently baking at record pace, my mother went to Sam's looking for a good deal on yeast. She found 2 lbs. of yeast for $4!!!! That's right...it's not a misprint...I won't have to buy yeast until September 2011 according to the expiration date on the package. Awesome!

In other BBA news, I mixed up a new batch of dough tonight and threw in two handfulls of wheat germ. I think it'll give the loaves a nice nutty taste. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Lastly, but also of notable BBA importance...I finally liberated 6 bananas out of the freezer to make two loaves of banana bread. I have a fantastic recipe for banana bread that has gotten rave reviews everywhere I take it.

Banana-rama Bread

1 1/2 c. sugar
1 stick sweet cream butter (unsalted)

2 eggs

4-6 bananas

1 t. soda

2 c. flour

1 t. vanilla

handful of pecans

1. cream butter & sugar
2. add eggs - mix
3. mash bananas & add to mixture
4. add flour, vanilla & pecans (if desired)
5. bake @ 325 for 55 min. (loaf pan) or 30 min. (cupcakes)

A few notes:

The kiddos love to mash the bananas! Hand 'em a fork and let them mush bananas to smithereens!

I've made this with half white flour & half wheat as well and been quite pleased with the results.

I never throw out a banana. Overripe ones go in the freezer then I thaw them as needed for bread. They look terrible when they thaw, but you just rip off the end and squeeze out the banana like toothpaste. I swear these make the best bread ever!

Also, I don't like chopping pecans so I add them whole. It's rather tasty to bite into a chunk of pecan!

Hello...my name is Stephanie and I'm addicted to /sniff/ bread baking...

Admitting it IS the first step, isn't it? Mother Earth News sent out a another fabulous newsletter with this article about how you, too, could have freshly baked bread in only 5 minutes a day!! NO WAY, I thought to myself..IMPOSSIBLE! I will have to just try this for myself!

And I did try it...all weekend long. I made 5 loaves of yummy artisan bread this weekend. I've also started another batch to use throughout the week. Ummm...hmmmm...I'm officially a member of Bread Bakers Anonymous (BBA). Anyone else want to join my club?

The great thing is that the original recipe can be tweaked for almost endless possibilities. The article also talks about making cinnamon rolls and pizza crust with this same starter. WOW! Try it...you'll like it.

(I'll try to upload some steamy photos of fresly baked bread for my fellow BBA members in the next few days! ;-)

In other news, the girls and I made some homemade soaps to give as Christmas gifts. We included Tea Tree Oil as a natural anti-bacterial. It smells great!