E asked me to buy him some donuts at the supermarket on Monday when I was swinging by to buy some bread on the way home from work. I picked up a packet and took them home. They tasted so bad that I thought, I can make better than this. Having seen Astra’s healthy Banana Apple Spice Bread recently, I adapted it and wondered why anyone would eat those donuts when they could whip up this delicious loaf so easily!E tasted the bread and thought it a little fruity for his liking. But he agreed that the donuts were not great. While sitting idly at the kitchen table he read me the small print, which said, “This product is frozen from fresh and thawed from your convenience”. Whaaaaaat!!!!!!!
I go to the bakery section of the supermarket for freshly baked goods. I don't just buy food for convenience, I buy it for taste. Thawing frozen donuts and placing them in the baked goods section is a cynical exercise in money making. If they were going to be honest they would sell them in the freezer section so I could defrost them at my true convenience. But having seen this sneaky sale, I wonder what else I am missing with the small print.
Fortunately there are no such nasty tricks in Astra's recipes. She shares lots of delicious baking on her blog. It looks so good but is also healthy. Sylvia and I (and my mum) loved this loaf. With her current (no pun intended) obsession with sultanas, Sylvia particularly loved picking out the cranberries. I am not sure that the white chocolate was really needed . It was there to give a bit of sweetness for E but not enough for his liking. The maple syrup gives a lovely flavour but there isn't much sugar in there. Just what we needed after all that butterscotch.
Previously on Green Gourmet Giraffe:
This time last year: PPN Cavolo Nero and Chickpea Pasta
This time two years ago: Rathdowne Street Food Store - hearty and interesting
This time three years ago: Hummus - morning and night
Banana Apple Loaf
Adapted from Food for Laughter
- 1 cup white flour
- ½ cup wholemeal flour
- ½ cup oats
- ⅓ cup dried cranberries
- ⅓ cup white chocolate chips
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ⅓ cup applesauce
- ⅓ cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- Combine the flours, oats, cranberries, white chocolate, chips, baking powder, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Place mashed bananas, canola oil, applesauce, maple syrup, and egg. Lightly whisk together with a fork. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until combined.
- Pour the batter into the loaf tin, and bake for 50 minutes to an hour - until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Allow the loaf to cool for 10-15 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool (or cool in the pan as Astra suggests)!
On the stereo:
The best of 1980-1990 - U2
Oh baby, with 8 bananas sitting on the counter and spots forming yesterday, I think this is called for!
ReplyDeleteWhy does anybody buy such a huge bunch when there are only two of us ....
That looks lovely and moist Johanna. I really enjoy dried cranberries in baking - they're sweet and very slightly tart at the same time.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the cynical way supermarkets promote their goods. As I understand it, in some UK supermarkets most of the 'fresh' bakery items are baked from frozen (this was certainly the case for a well known retailer I worked for briefly!). I don't know about Australia though. Cheats! As you say, it would be more convenient to buy frozen and bake yourself!
Bookmarked! The problem I have is that no one in my family much likes bananas (me included, at least not as a fruit in and of itself), so we never buy them and therefore never have super-ripe ones lying around. And then whenever I get the urge to make something like this, by the time I've bought bananas and given them a few days to ripen... well, generally I'm satisfied the craving elsewhere. :P
ReplyDeleteBut I love the idea of cranberries here, so I might have to try really hard to forward-plan!
It looks so pretty sliced with all those cranberries strutting their stuff.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tanna - buying lots of fruit is a sign of hope in good health - buying lots of bananas means there is always the other option of banana cake :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks C - I haven't come across this practice before - my mum says it happens a lot with meat sold by supermarkets - feel like I need more shopping time to read all the small print!
Thanks Hannah - try buying some manky looking bananas and putting them in the freezer for when you need banana bread - I don't eat a lot of fresh bananas but have had a lot of banana baking since Sylvia started going hot and cold on them - am looking forward to her enjoying them again.
Thanks Jacqueline - cranberries do add a lovely rosy sparkle don't they!
I know a lot of coffee places and stuff that get their "fresh" baked goods in frozen. That's really disappointing though that the bakery section of the grocery store is putting out fresh/frozen stuff though. Are you referring to loaves as donuts? I've never heard of that before. Anyway this banana apple loaf looks much more lovely than a store bought loaf!
ReplyDeleteI am always frustrated at the supermarket when I am looking for freshly baked goods or breads that don't include a whole laundry list of bizarre ingredients so I know the feeling. This banana loaf looks amazing! I love baking my own breads, nothing at the supermarket can ever compare! You have the cutest blog!
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, that loaf looks amazing. I'd keep the white chocolate, of course. ;)
ReplyDeleteYears ago when I was doing research for my bakery, I was astonished to learn that most major supermarkets here use previously frozen muffins, donuts, etc. and sell them in the "fresh-baked" section of the stores. And no fine print to let us know, either. Grr.