Banana Bread with a Madeira Wine Glaze
Equipment
- 1 9 inch loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour (228 grams)
- 3 bananas very ripe to over ripe
- 1 cup walnuts, roughly chopped optional
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup olive oil or butter
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon salt
Madeira Wine Glaze:
- ¼ cup madeira wine
- ¼ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Butter and flour a 9-inch loaf pan.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, nuts, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, cloves and, cinnamon.
- In another bowl put the wet ingredients: Peel the bananas and mash them thoroughly in a using a potato masher or a fork.
- Add the olive oil and stir the oil into the mashed bananas and mix until well blended. Add two beaten eggs and sugar; then mix until all the wet ingredients are combinded
- Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix gently until there are no more pockets of dry flour. It's okay if the batter is visibly lumpy.
- Once the liquid and dry ingredients have been combined, pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan and transfer to the oven immediately. Bake 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean or the internal temperature is 190-195 F.
Madeira Wine Glaze:
- In a pan over medium heat add the Madeira wine, sugar and butter. Stir untill the sugar has dissolved.
Notes
https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/pt/cat/frutos-frescos/390-banana-da-madeira
History: Eduardo Pereira (1939) states that the introduction of the banana tree must date back to the middle of the 16th century. As early as 1552, Nichols, an English traveler who visited Madeira, mentions the existence of this crop (probably the land banana Musa sapientum L.). Menezes (1910) considers that it was in the 17th century that the culture began to have a certain increase. Silva (1946) mentions the introduction of the "Dwarf" banana tree - Musa acumínata Cola AAA - in 1842, originating in Demerara. A similar reference is made by Pereira, in the Zargo Islands, but indicating China as the origin. In 1911, 550 tons were exported. It is one of the main riches of Madeira. Its natural qualities have given it an almost universal fame.
This crop is very demanding in terms of heat and humidity, and its activity is greatly reduced at temperatures below 16 °C. This is why Madeira's banana plantations are located on the warmer, south-facing coast, up to 200 to 250 m above sea level. The island's steep slopes have meant that the land has been laid out in 'terraces' or 'poios'. Banana trees are very demanding of water and must be planted on irrigable land. Irrigation is necessary in the summer, which has necessitated the construction of extensive irrigation channels - the so-called 'levadas' (because they carry the water). Traditional fertilization is carried out 2-3 times a year, and an annual pit is dug to bury the manure. Throughout the year there is cleaning (cutting off dry leaves), tutoring (supporting the plants with bunches by means of stakes that allow them to resist weight and wind) and shoot selection (each year the plant - son - that will enter production is selected, the rest being cut). The bunches are harvested throughout the year, mainly in the summer months. The bunches are harvested at the appropriate stage of ripeness so that the fruit arrives at the place of consumption in good condition. Before transportation, the bunches are cut into "pencas" and packed in cardboard boxes. New plantings are made between April and June, and the first harvest can normally be made 16 to 19 months after planting.
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