THE BEST SMOKED BANANA BREAD

Smoked Banana Bread so much flavor beyond the regular recipe

 Banana is one of the best fruits to cook with as they are very flavorful and respond exceptionally well to smoke vapor due to the heavy water content in them.  In fact, bananas have roughly 75% water per 100 grams which is one of the reasons why they are popular to use in smoothies.

Since bananas don’t take a lot of time to infuse the natural essence of wood chips, I’ll be using my Nordic Ware stove-top smoker.  The golden, wood infused pieces of banana will then be added to sweet bread ingredients to make a banana loaf.

Our recipe will include a gluten-free flour and sour cream instead of oil which gives a great texture and lets the smoked banana stand out.  You’ll need just 4 smoked bananas for this recipe.  Let’s get started with the smoking process.

Tasting Notes: Remember, the most flavorful banana loaf is made using ripe or over-ripe bananas so be sure to shop your store’s “reduced for quick sale” rack, where over-ripened fruit normally is placed.

Got 15 Minutes?

You don’t need to own a stove top smoker like my Nordic Ware Kettle Smoker to do this technique.  Simply follow our previous posting on making your own stove top smoker using a standard pot.  Once your equipment is ready, take 4 ripe bananas, remove the peels and cut length-wise in half.  I place the bottom of my smoker on a medium heat burner and add one scoop of Minuto #8 wood chips to the center bottom of the pan.  The drip pan goes on next, followed by the smoker pan with the cut banana pieces.  The bananas will smoke about 15 minutes before turning golden in color.  Be sure you don’t over smoke the bananas or you could increase the chance for a bitter flavor or remove too much water.  Turn off the heat and carefully remove the smoker pan.

With the banana slices removed from the smoker pan, I place these in a bowl.  You’ll see water quickly start rendering from the fruit as they cool down.  If you prefer a thinner batter to your bread, then go ahead and use the bananas as is in this recipe.  If you prefer a firmer bread, drain the banana slices in a colander over a bowl to remove some of the water before mashing the slices.  You want your mash to contain somewhat consistent banana pieces when finished.  Then taking a standard 9×5 loaf pan, generously butter the pan on all sides and the bottom to ensure the bread will not stick.  Set the pan aside while we get ready to make the dough.

Time for the Dough!

I’ve decided to make a thicker loaf dough so I did drain my bananas in a colander for about 5 minutes before mashing.

Start by adding 1 cup of sugar to a large bowl followed by ½ cup of softened butter.  Cream the butter and sugar together using an electric mixer fit with a paddle attachment.  Once creamed, add 2 eggs, one at a time mixing well.   The outcome should be a smooth, thickened consistency.  Feel free to use sugar substitutes if you prefer.  Stevia substitution would be 24 packets or 1/3 cup.  Do not substitute the sugar with a liquid substitute as you must have a powder for the right bread consistency.

Now it’s time to bring in some dry ingredients to our dough.  Start with 1-1/2 cups of unbleached flour or a flour of your choice in a small bowl.  I’m using coconut flour today.  Add 1 teaspoon of baking powder and 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to the flour and whisk well.  Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and combine well.  Add the mashed smoked banana which should be about 1 cup, plus ½ cup sour cream, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract.  Mix well.  If you’ve used the banana without the rendered water, the dough will be quite thick.

Time to Bake Smoked Banana Bread

For the final ingredients to our dough, note these can be optional.  I’m adding ¼ cup shredded coconut and ½ cup of walnut and pecan pieces.  Mix with a spatula until blended.  Then place the dough into the prepared loaf pan spreading out so the dough is even.  I like to pound the filled pan on the counter before baking in order to ensure there are no air pockets.

Place the pan into a 350° F oven and bake until a tester inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.  This will take approximately 40-45 minutes depending on the thickness of your dough.  Remove the loaf pan from the oven and place on a cooling rack for 10 minutes.  Then carefully invert the loaf on a serving platter.  I’ve made a glaze to drizzle over the top of my loaf which is simply a ¼ cup of powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of cream.  I add liquid in tiny amounts to get the consistency I prefer in the glaze, which is a slow drip from a spoon.  Now you’re ready to slice up this flavorful bread and impress all your guests.

What’s your favorite smoked banana recipe?  Leave us a comment to opine and subscribe to get all our postings on tips, techniques and recipes.  Bringing innovation to wood fired cooking with recipes, techniques and the science behind the fire, smoke, and flavor. That’s SmokinLicious®.