Attention bakers: With just a few weeks away, it’s time to plan what you’re baking for the holidays.
If you’re like me, I’m always searching for something new, especially for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, Claire Saffitz, author of “Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence,” can help hone your skills and build your baking repertoire during a Zoom bake-along class, as part of the St. Louis Jewish Book Festival, at 11 a.m., Friday, Nov. 6.
Saffitz has become a baking hero for a new generation of home bakers, earning rave reviews for her signature spin on sweet and savory recipes, like Babkallah (a babka-challah mash-up), Apple and Concord Grape Crumble Pie, Strawberry-Cornmeal Layer Cake and Malted Forever Brownies.
A problem solver par excellence, Saffitz can address and solve your baking problems, as well as provide practical dos and don’ts to make anyone a better baker.
Tickets for the bake-along are $18, which are still available through The Jewish Community Center.
Saffitz has provided one of her favorite recipes to Gazelle readers – Almond Butter Banana Bread, a delightful fall treat perfect to bake throughout the holiday season,
ALMOND BUTTER BANANA BREAD
3 tablespoons plus 1/3 cup almond butter
1 tablespoon plus 2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon plus 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 large eggs, cold from the refrigerator
1 cup mashed banana (from very ripe bananas)
1/3 cup plain, whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted roasted chopped almonds (optional)
Arrange an oven rack in the center position and preheat oven to 350 F. Coat the bottom and sides of a 4 1/2- by 8 1/2 – inch loaf pan with coconut oil. Line the bottom and two longer sides with a piece of parchment paper, leaving an overhang of an inch or two on each side, and set the pan aside.
Mix almond butter swirl: In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of the almond butter, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, and 1 teaspoon of the coconut oil until smooth. Set mixture aside.
Mix dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and cardamom. Set aside.
Mix wet ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs to break up the yolks and whites. Add the remaining 2/3 cup sugar (4.6 oz./130g) and whisk vigorously until the mixture is smooth and slightly thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the mashed banana, Greek yogurt, vanilla, remaining 1/3 cup almond butter and 1/2 cup coconut oil and whisk vigorously until the mixture is smooth (some banana lumps are OK).
Mix wet ingredients into the dry: Pour the banana mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture and whisk gently, just until you have a smooth batter with no dry spots. Add the almonds (if using) and fold the batter with a flexible spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to make sure everything is well incorporated.
Fill the pan and make the swirl topping: Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Dollop teaspoons of the reserved almond butter mixture all across the top of the batter and then use a toothpick or the tip of a paring knife to drag figure eights across the surface, making a swirl pattern.
Bake until the top is risen and split and a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes. Remove the banana bread from the oven and set aside to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then use a paring knife or small offset spatula to cut between the cake and the pan along the shorter sides. Use the parchment paper to lift out the banana bread and let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Makes one standard loaf.
Recipe from “Dessert Person: Recipes and Guidance for Baking with Confidence,” reprinted with permission.
