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®.

 

ZUCCHINI BREAD & CAKE ON THE GRILL

The finished slices of our ZUCCHINI BREAD & CAKE ON THE GRILL

I love making traditional baking items on the grill especially when wood is added for a kick of flavor that can make some normal recipes totally unique.  That’s how I feel about this recipe for zucchini-coconut-lime bread/cake.  It has to have two names as I’m giving you two finishes so you have something more savory like a bread and something sweet like a dessert.  Don’t ignore large, fresh zucchini that you see in your garden or farmer’s market or even the local store.  Pick up a beauty and come to the grill with me for this great two loaf recipe.

 

Two Bowls & One Grill

There’s minimal preparation that needs to be done for this bread/cake combination.  One thing I love about zucchini bread/cake is there’s nothing complicated about it.


To start, head out to the grill and light the burners on only half the grill.  On the lit side, place wood chunks directly on the heat shields or burner covers.  This will produce that fantastic wood vapor that is going to super flavor our bread/cake.  I’ve set my burners to medium which should bring them to 325°F, the perfect temperature to bring these two loaves to the finish.  For the loaf pans, simply spray with non-stick cooking spray or butter generously.  Now, let’s get the batter made.

Tasting Notes: If you’re leery about putting wood pieces directly on your heat shields than you can use a metal smoker box to hold the wood.  Try to get one that will still fit between your grill grate and the heat shield, otherwise, you’ll have to put the box on the grill grate which will take longer to heat up and start the wood smoking.

 

The Double Duty Batter

To start our batter, get a large bowl to combine the dry ingredients first.  Add 3 cups all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 cups sugar, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and 1 cup shredded or flaked coconut.   Combine well and set aside.  Next, we’ll prepare the wet ingredients.

In a medium bowl combine 2 cups of raw, unpeeled, grated zucchini, 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, ¾ cup oil, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 3 beaten eggs, 1 tablespoon lime juice, and 2 teaspoons lime zest.  This batter will be quite thick.  Here’s a trick with the zucchini: be sure once you grate the zucchini you place it between paper towels and remove the excess water.  If you leave the excess moisture, the batter will become watery and affect how the bread/cake rises.



With the dry and wet ingredients made, it’s time to combine them.  Place the dry ingredients into the wet and mix well by hand.  Divide the batter in half and pour into the prepared loaf pans.  Place the filled loaf pans on the unlit side of the grill and close the lid.  This batter will take 75 minutes to cook so I check the cake about ½ way through and rotate the pans.  I also make sure the wood chunks are still producing smoke.  If not, I add new wood.  Once cooked, I remove the pans from the grill and cool on wire racks.

Tasting Notes: Whenever you bake on the grill, it is important to use a two-zone cooking method rather than direct heat cooking.  This will reduce the risk of burning the batter or producing off flavors, especially if you use a charcoal grill.  This recipe can be altered to fit your taste.  If you don’t like coconut but still want something sweet, feel free to swap out the cup of coconut for chocolate or butterscotch chips. 

 

When a Bread Becomes Cake

Once cooled, I remove the loaves from the pans and place on a serving platter.  I take 1/3 cup of flaked coconut and toast in the oven or on the grill until lightly browned.  Time to make a glaze that will sweeten up this loaf some more, turning one loaf into a cake.


For the glaze, combine 1 cup powdered sugar with 2 tablespoons of lime juice.   Using a fork, I drizzle the glaze over the loaf in a rapid side-to-side motion.  While the glaze is still wet, I sprinkle on the toasted coconut and additional lime zest.  That’s it!  Now you can sample both loaves and decide which is your favorite.  As a bread or a sweet cake.

Tasting Notes:  If you prefer a lemon flavor you can swap out the lime juice for lemon and the lime zest for lemon zest.  Orange works well too!