Summer Recipe Series

There is certainly no shortage of banana bread recipes. What makes this one so delicious? The flavour is bold with banana, as this recipe contains a generous amount of bananas in the batter and there are no added spices. The liberal sprinkling of sugar on the top creates a delightfully crunchy and deeply caramelized top, which gives way to a moist and flavourful bread.

Classic Banana Bread
~ Adapted from Claire Ptak's The Violet Bakery Cookbook
flourist.com recipe

• 6 bananas (approximately 500 grams), very ripe
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup (76g)  brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp dark rum (optional)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
• 1 cup (138g) Flourist Sifted Red Spring Wheat Flour
• 1/2 cup (71g) Flourist Whole Grain Red Spring Wheat Flour (optional, see note above)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 tbsp (41g) sugar

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a mixing bowl, mash 5 bananas well, reserving one banana as a garnish on top. In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the oil, brown sugar, vanilla, rum (if using), eggs and buttermilk. Add the mashed banana and set aside.
3. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined and pour into your prepared pan.
4. Split the remaining banana in half lengthwise and nestle the halves on top of the batter, lightly pressing them in. Sprinkle 3 tbsp sugar generously over the top.
5. Bake for 40-50 minutes until a skewer inserted comes out clean, the top has set and is deeply caramelized.

Follow these detailed instructions for making easy whole wheat pizza dough at home. The recipe yields almost 2 lbs of whole wheat pizza dough, which is enough for two 12-inch pizzas.
Author: Sally   | Prep Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes  | Cook Time: 15 minutes  | Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes  | Yield: two 12-inch pizzas
sallysbakingaddiction.com

• 1 and 1/2 cups (360ml) warm water (between 100-110°F, 38-43°C)
• 1 Tablespoon active dry or instant yeast*
• 1 Tablespoon (21g) honey*
• 2 Tablespoons (30ml) extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for pan and brushing dough
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 and 1/4 cups (420g) whole wheat flour (spooned & leveled)*
• sprinkle of cornmeal for dusting pan
• optional: chopped garlic, garlic powder, and/or dried basil, oregano, or an Italian seasoning blend

1. Whisk the warm water, yeast, and honey together in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment. Cover and allow to rest for 5 minutes or until foamy on top. *If you don’t have a stand mixer, simply use a large mixing bowl and mix the dough with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula in the next step.
2. Add the olive oil, salt, and flour. Beat on low speed for 3 minutes. It will be slightly tacky to the touch.
3. Knead the dough: Keep the dough in the mixer and beat for an additional 5-8 full minutes, or knead by hand on a lightly floured surface for 5-8 full minutes. (If you’re new to bread-baking, my How to Knead Dough video tutorial can help here.) If the dough becomes too sticky during the kneading process, sprinkle 1 teaspoon of flour at a time on the dough or on the work surface/in the bowl to make a soft, slightly tacky dough. Do not add more flour than you need because you do not want a dry dough. After kneading, the dough should still feel a little soft. Poke it with your finger—if it slowly bounces back, your dough is ready to rise.
4. Lightly grease a large bowl with olive oil or nonstick spray—just use the same bowl you used for the dough. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise at room temperature for 2 hours or until double in size. (Tip: For the warm environment on a particularly cold day, heat your oven to 150°F (66°C). Turn the oven off, place the dough inside, and keep the door slightly ajar. This will be a warm environment for your dough to rise. After about 30 minutes, close the oven door to trap the air inside with the rising dough. When it’s doubled in size, remove from the oven.)
5. Preheat oven to 475°F (246°C). Allow it to heat for at least 15-20 minutes as you shape the pizza. (If using a pizza stone, place it in the oven to preheat as well.) Lightly grease baking sheet or pizza pan with nonstick spray or olive oil. Sprinkle lightly with cornmeal, which gives the crust extra crunch and flavor.
6. Shape the dough: When the dough is ready, punch it down to release any air bubbles. Divide the dough in half. (If not making 2 pizzas, freeze half of the dough for another time—see freezing instructions below.) On a lightly floured work surface using lightly floured hands or rolling pin, gently flatten the dough into a disc. Place on prepared pan and, using lightly floured hands, stretch and flatten the disc into a 12-inch circle. Lift the edge of the dough up to create a lip around the edges. I simply pinch the edges up to create the rim. If using a pizza stone, place the dough directly on baker’s peels dusted with cornmeal.
7. Cover dough lightly with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and allow to rest for a few minutes as you prepare your pizza toppings.
8. Top & bake the pizza: To prevent the filling from making your pizza crust soggy, brush the top lightly with olive oil. Using your fingers, push dents into the surface of the dough to prevent bubbling. Top with your favorite toppings and bake for 15-16 minutes.
   Slice hot pizza and serve immediately. Store leftover pizza covered tightly in the refrigerator and reheat as you prefer. Baked pizza slices may be frozen up to 1 month.