Banana Bread Recipe Using The *Finger Poking Method*

Banana Bread Recipe Using The *Finger Poking Method*

Thanks for Voting on My "Copywriting Battle Book Part #1"

Dear Friend,

Thank You Mom for teaching me how to Cook without a Recipe.

My Mother Taught Home Economics in a local High School.

But When I came home it was MY job to cook Dessert. Mom did the meal. I did Dessert.

Dessert is a Very Tough Job!

My Dad and Two Brothers were Very Finicky.

Dad was allergic to Baking Powder.

One Brother didn't like Walnuts.

Another dislike Raisins.

I told both brothers to PICK Out what they didn't like.

But my Father. He got terrible Joint Pain from Baking Powder.

So I got Really Good at Baking with Yeast. I Used Yeast to Make Muffins and Rolls and Bread -- from Scratch. Even caught wild Yeast on our front porch. And started baking Sourdough Bread.

Here is how my Banana Bread Disaster Happened.

When I turned on my MAC Computer I got this Message:

"Your Apple Software will take 35 Minutes to Load..."

So WHILE I WAITED -- I decided to Make Banana Bread in my Bread Machine.

STEP I -- I Dumped the water in the Bread Machine.

STEP II -- Then I poured the water from my Distiller into a gallon Glass Jug.

STEP III -- And I decided to Add Prunes to my Banana Bread. USE THEM Before they dry up. So I cut up 5 Pitted Prunes. Into the Metal Bread Bucket.

STEP IV -- The Fire was getting Low. So I added 2 Logs to The Fire Place Insert.

STEP V -- Then I Refilled The Distiller and Turned it on.

STEP VI -- Dumped in 4 1/2 cups of flour. And Tossed in a ripe banana.

STEP VII -- Then I filled my Thermos with Chilled water. Put it into my Blue Bucket. So I had water to drink while I was Splitting wood -- later.

STEP VIII -- Added Honey and 1/4 stick of butter.

I Got DISTRACTED!

I Looked out my Kitchen window. And spotted a Neighbor Walking down my driveway.

Instead of eating the peeled Banana in my hand, I dropped it into the Bread Machine.

Hit "Start."

Rushed outside.

When I came Back into the kitchen - My Bread Machine sounded like a Washing Machine. Full of water.

OR

Like that "Lucy" TV Episode Where Lucy Ricardo is stomping grapes. (Lucy is the Most watched TV Show in history. So You Probably saw it too.)

A Banana Bread DISASTER!

Well.

Not really.

All You have to do is get your HANDS on the Bread. If the ball of Dough is sticky. You add More Flour. The trick is not adding too much Flour. Because THEN you have to add Water.

Fixing Bread Machine DISASTERS is easy. I used to Make BIGGER Mistakes. I used to use a Dough Hook. Rolled out 8 loaves of bread at a time.

A Mistake with that much Flour is a BIG MESS. (A DOUGH HOOK is A big aluminum bucket with a metal hook on it. Hand Cranked.)

SO BACK IN THE KITCHEN -- When I Opened The Bread Machine Lid I saw a lot of Wet Banana-smelling Glop.

So I added 1/3 cup of flour. The little Paddle Spun furiously.

Another 3rd.

And Another 3rd cup of flour.

Pretty soon the sound of the machine Changed. It started to Labor. And Whine like normal. So I reached in with a finger.

AHA!

The Ball of Dough was Not Sticky.

My Near Disaster was over. (If I had stayed outside. Not come back to Check on the Bread. THAT would have been a real DISASTER.)

So.

Below.

You will Find The "Banana Bread Disaster & Rescue Recipe..."

INGREDIENTS:

Basic White Bread Recipe: (My tiny Bread Machine Cookbook Only has 10 pages. No Banana Bread recipe. So I winged it.)

1 1/3 Cups Flour

1 12 teaspoons Salt ( I skip the salt. Prunes and bananas give plenty of flavor)

2 Tablespoons Sugar ( I use Honey)

1/4 cup Vegetable oil or butter

4 1/2 cups Bread Flour (I use Spelt Flour. Durham wheat makes my Joints Hurt.)

1 3/4 Teaspoons Machine Yeast. (I use any yeast I have handy.)

Two Bananas.

5 Chopped up Pitted Prunes

(EDITORS NOTE -- Normally I would add a Handful of Walnuts. But With the Neighbor walking down my Driveway -- I Forgot.)

MY Disaster Rescue DIRECTIONS:

STEP #1 -- You Dump all of the Above Ingredients into Your Bread Machine.

Step #2 -- Since Nobody knows How Big or how Ripe YOUR Bananas Are Compared to mine. (How much Moisture is in them.)

Step #3 -- Get Your Flour Canister and 1/3 cup size Scoop Ready.

Step #4 -- While the Sloppy Mess is Mixing, you lift the lid and Dump in 1/3 Cup of Extra Flour. Close the Lid and Wait.

Step #5 -- I use a FlashLight. Peek in thru the window in the Machine Lid. Still too Wet. So I Dumped in another 1/3 Cup.

Step #6 -- Wait for a minute. Take a Peek. Lift the Lid and Dump in another 1/3 Cup of Flour.

STEP #7 -- At This Point -- The Mixing Ball of Dough will be Dry to the touch on one side. Wet on the other. So instead of dumping in 1/3 Cup. You sift a small amount of flour on top of the Turning Ball of Dough.

STEP #8 -- You Reach in and Feel The Dough with your Fingers. Keep adding a little bit more Flour. Until two or three fingers NO LONGER STICK to the dough Ball.

STEP #9 -- You Wait for the Dough to Rise.

STEP #10 -- A Buzzer Goes off. You wait until the Mixing Starts up again. Then Finger Check the dough one more time.

STEP #11 -- After that you can Let the Dough Rise a 2nd time. And the Machine will cook it -- all by itself.

DOUBLE CHECKING is Necessary -- No Matter what!

Even if you follow a Recipe Exactly -- you are DOOMED to Make Mistakes.

You are at a different Altitude than The Cook who Wrote the recipe.

Your Oven Does not heat Exactly the Right Temperature.

Your Bananas are too big. Too Small. Too Ripe. Or a Bit Green.

IF YOU PREPARE for DISASTER, You will Be Ready to Fix it.

A FINAL BIT of ADVICE -- If your dough is too Moist, the Top of your 2 Pound Loaf will Sink. And you will have EDIBLE but Odd Looking Bread.

Like the Hulk stomped on the Top of your Car and Caved it in.

Thanks,

Glenn Osborn

Bread Baker Since I Could Read a Cookbook.