Banana Cardamom Bread - 4 points

I had two bananas that were turning a lovely shade of black, so I decided they were begging to be baked into some sort of yummy bread. I have been making this bread, based on one from The Ultimate Healthy Eating Cook Book, for years and find it delightful.

I decided that the bread wanted to be shaped like a turtle (Simon saw bread shaped like a turtle in Family Fun magazine not too long ago and thought it was wonderful).

Banana Cardamom Bread
2/3 cup warm water
1 pkt active dried yeast
1 tsp brown sugar
2 tsp ground cardamom
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp rum
2 ripe, mashed bananas
1 tbsp sesame seeds

1. Dissolve the sugar in the warm water. Gently mix in yeast. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to activate the yeast.
2. Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Make a well in the middle of the flour and pour in the yeast mixture, bananas, rum, and cardamom. Stir until all ingredients are incorporated.
3. On a lightly floured surface, knead the bread for 5 minutes until smooth. Form dough into a ball and place in a glass bowl. Cover the bowl and allow the dough to sit for 2 hours.
4. Shape the dough as desired (the book suggests braiding or leaving in a loaf.) Place on a greased baking sheet or stone. Leave to rise 1/2 hour.
5. Brush the top of the dough with water. Sprinkle on sesame seeds.
6. Bake the bread at 425F for 10 minutes. Lower the heat to 400F and bake an additional 15 minutes. Cool on a wire rack before slicing.
7. Yields 10, 4 point servings

Look how cute!

I did use raisins for the face. I will admit a dirty little secret - I love burned raisins. They are a guilty pleasure. In this case, though, I did allow Simon to eat all of them. Apparently, they are one of his guilty pleasures as well.

Much love to one of my favorite bloggers, The Food Hound, for bestowing the Stylish Blogger Award on me. Please check out her amazing blog. She is not only a great cook; she is a fantastic writer.