30,000 Pounds of Bananas

Well, not quite 30,000 pounds.

Last week I decided to do a banana bread smack down.

In this corner, from Cook for Good, fighting in the whole white wheat flour, weighing in with four bananas. Made with brown sugar and containing less sugar and oil than most quick bread recipes... Ladies and gentlemen, More Banana Banana Bread.

And in this corner, from the recipe cards at Starbucks around the world, weighing in with three bananas. Made with more oil and sugar than his opponent. Ladies and gentlemen, Starbucks Banana Walnut Bread.

Now fight fans, "Let's get ready to rumble!"

Interestingly, the More Banana recipe and the Starbucks version contain the same amount of liquid. One has 1/2 cup of milk and a few tablespoons of oil and the other has 1/2 cup of oil and a few tablespoons of milk. Both recipes contain walnuts.

After careful review and thoughtful deliberation, the winner was the Starbucks version. This more traditional version was described by reviewers as having more banana flavor. It could be that the vanilla increased the intensity of the banana. In addition, it was more moist (hardly surprising since it had a bit of oil in it).