50% Wholegrain Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread | 50% Whole Wheat bread | Banana Atta Bread

The rhapsody of the rain continues to enthrall us. Landscape is verdant green, dotted with fresh and lush vegetation. Rain lilies have sprung up everywhere ….some pink and some yellow. 

Some wild flowers too have shown up, breaking the monotony of green. 

The colours and the greenery is soothing to the eyes as well as the soul.

We heard a bird’s call in the nearby tree and discovered a Great Barbet. It let out another call and glided away to another tree.

Some overripe bananas in our kitchen were beginning to fall off the bunch. A bookmarked recipe of a yeasted bread with bananas was waiting to happen and this was the right time to go ahead with it.

 I have baked this bread twice. 

 I incorporated whole wheat flour in the recipe, thus making it 50% whole grain bread. The bread is soft and moist with a very subtle- almost imperceptible flavour of banana. The bread has a wonderful balance of sweetness and salt.

Adapted from www.kingarthurflour.com

50% Wholegrain Yeasted Banana Sandwich Bread

Ingredients

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour

1 ½ cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 ¼ teaspoon instant dry yeast

1 medium size ripe banana (mashed)

1 cup warm milk

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons butter

¼ to ½ cup warm water

Method

Whisk together first three ingredients in a large bowl. Add melted butter and whisk well.

Mix together warm milk, banana and honey.

In a separate bowl, mix yeast and 3-4 tablespoons of warm water. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Yeast will turn frothy. Add yeast to milk mix.

Add this to the flour mix and knead. Keep adding warm water while kneading. Knead for 6 to 8 minutes till you a get a really soft and supple dough.

Place the dough in a greased bowl. Cover and keep for 1 hour or till it doubles.

Transfer the dough to a floured counter and shape into a log. Place it in a greased 8 ½ x 4 ½ inch loaf pan. Cover with a kitchen cloth and leave it to rise for 1 hour or till it crests above the rim of the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes or till it turns golden from the top and the bottom sounds hollow when tapped. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, cover with a foil.

Remove from the pan after 10 minutes. Cool in the rack.

Slice next day.