Sophie Dahl's Banana Bread

Sophie Dahl:  I used to make banana bread in the fierce winters when I lived in New York and it was too freezing to do anything but bake. Eat it warm out of the oven with a lick of butter - it's unadulterated manna. 

For the first time I read about Sophie Dahl's Banana Bread on White Plate. I read it with interest, however, as it was already close 30°C in Budapest I was craving rather for salads and ice-cream than a warm banana bread.  The time flies and without any warning we're in November with constant rain and overcast sky. I've already baked 6 banana breads this month according to Sophie Dahl's recipe - a perfect warm breakfast with a glass of milk or cocoa. If Santa Claus is overhearing me - please, bring me "Miss Dahl's Voluptuous Delights" for Christmas. :)

Sophie Dahl's Banana Bread

3 or 4 very ripe bananas (around 360g of peeled bananas)
150g brown sugar (my bananas were very ripe and I added only 100g and it was just perfect. 150g =2/3cup)
1 egg, beaten
75g butter, softened (1/3bar or 2/3stick)
1 vanilla sugar (with real vanilla) and/or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
170g all purpose flour (1 1/3cup)
a pinch of salt
a pinch of cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Fits a rectangular loaf pan (30cm long, 11cm wide, 7cm deep).

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cover the baking form with a baking paper. Mash the bananas with a fork or a hand blender/mixer. Add sugar, egg, butter and vanilla. In a seperate bowl mix the flour with baking soda. Add the flour, mix only until everything is combined, the batter doesn't need to be perfectly smooth - don't overmix it though! Pour the batter into the baking pan and bake for 50 - 60minutes. (In my oven it was 50minutes). The batter is not rising in the begining, but it will later. The colour will be either warm brown as in the picture or deep darker brown - depending on the bananas and sugar. Wait for 10minutes to cool down a bit and then eat it warm with a glass of milk, caffee latte or your favourite tea. :)