Banana and Raisin Bread

Pinch, punch, second of the month! I hope this lovely month of May has been treating you well for the two days it's been going. Yesterday I finished one of three Uni assignments due next Friday so I was a happy bunny, and as a treat, I made myself some burgers and spiced wedges, that tasted amazing. Nothing like homemade comfort food to make your evening! And in other good news this bank holiday weekend, I've got a job interview tomorrow for a chocolate shop! It would be something close to a dream job, so here's hoping it all goes well.

It's a shame I don't have any banana and raisin bread left to celebrate with, though. Jason and I devoured it quicker than you can say its name and we're out of bananas to make anymore, so for now I'll try and remember its glorious smell while staring at the pictures.

Making banana bread is one of the easiest things to do and really hassle free. I use the BBC Good Food recipe and just alter it a little for my tastes. For example, the recipe calls for four bananas, but I found it worked fine and tasted great with just 3 large bananas. A lot of store brought banana breads are far too overwhelmingly banana flavoured for me (and I reaaaaaally like bananas), so three large bananas gives a perfect banana taste that's powerful, but subtle at the same time.

Homemade food is always better than store bought, though, right? This banana bread is a perfect example of that. Baked just right it's moist, but crisp on the outside, and the addition of the raisins (not in the BBC recipe!) adds an extra great flavour. Like I say with most recipes on here, you could go wild with extra ingredients. You could throw in other fruits or even add some kind of spice to give it a kick. I'm a conservative with this recipe, though, and will always keep it close its roots because I know it tastes fantastic.

If you are going to add in extra ingredients, be careful with your cooking times. A basic banana bread needs around an hour at 180C, and it worked perfectly for mine, but other ingredients might throw this off. Mine was just cooked in the middle and just starting to brown up a little too much on the top after an hour, so watch it carefully!

Mine probably could've come out 3-5 mins earlier than it did to stop the edges charring like they did. However, a crispy edge isn't so bad to ensure a fully cooked middle. And call me crazy, but sometimes I like a super crispy edge to contrast the soft inside; it adds a little something different to the taste experience!

Why not give this recipe a go and see for yourself how you like it? More or less banana? Crisp or soft edges? Let me know below!