Bananas Foster Bread

Hello, friends! I realize that my posts have been sporadic this summer. Weekend trips, visits to and from family, and all of our summer activities are keeping us extra busy! I baked this delicious Bananas Foster Bread to share with my sister when she visited with her 3 young sons this week (ages 5, 3, and 6 weeks). I figured the least I could do was have a fresh-from-the-oven treat ready after she braved 4 hours of highway alone with 2 active boys and an infant to come and see me. Our late night snack doubled as breakfast the next morning when I served it with a side of fruit.

I found this Cooking Light recipe on Elizabeth's Edible Experience blog. She had me at "Bananas Foster". I love the traditional version of the dessert so much that and I've even translated it into french toast casserole. The combination of bananas, brown sugar, and rum is always a winner in my book! This banana bread was no exception. It's easily one of the best banana breads to come out of my oven. It was super moist with a fine crumb and sweet with loads of banana flavor. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

Here's how it came together:

You begin by melting 5 tablespoons of butter in a skillet or saucepan, then add in 1-1/2 cups of mashed ripe banana, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and 3 tablespoons of dark rum. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the mixture is bubbly, then remove from heat and cool.

Meanwhile, combine fat free yogurt, eggs, and another 1/2 cup of brown sugar in a mixing bowl.

Add in the cooled banana mixture and mix until combined.

Add flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon and mix until just combined. Over-mixing will make for a less tender bread, so either hand-stir or go easy with your mixer.

Pour the batter into a loaf pan prepared with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

While the bread bakes, mix up a simple glaze with a tablespoon of butter, a tablespoon of rum, and powdered sugar. I ended up adding a couple teaspoons of milk to thin the glaze to a drizzling consistency.

Remove the loaf from the pan to a rack for cooling.

Then slide a piece of wax paper under the rack to catch the drips and drizzle the glaze over the loaf while still warm.

Slice it up and enjoy!

Here's the recipe from Cooking Light as seen on Elizabeth's Edible Experience:

Bananas Foster Bread

Yield: 16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1 cup packed brown sugar, divided
6 tablespoons butter, melted and divided
1/4 cup dark rum, divided
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt (I used vanilla)
2 large eggs
6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2-3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Cooking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar

Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine banana, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 5 tablespoons butter, and 3 tablespoons rum in a nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat; cool. Place yogurt, remaining 1/2 cup brown sugar, and eggs in a large bowl and mix until combined. Add the cooled banana mixture and beat with a mixer at medium speed.
3. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through cinnamon) in a small bowl. Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; place on wire rack.
4. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon melted butter, remaining 1 tablespoon rum, and powdered sugar; stir until well blended. Drizzle over the warm bread.