This one is for fans of big,robust, hearty baking for sure!
I added my own twist of some piped melted plain chocolate on top.
I came across the blog of GBBO 2011 contestant Mary-Anne Boerman last night, quickly this recipe caught my attention and I just HAD to give it a go! They are called banana buns- something I’ve never come across before. Admittedly, mine did turn out considerably heftier than those pictured on her blog, although to be fair she did state in her recipe that this can be the case. The option was given to either divide the dough into 6 or 8 pieces for rolling and shaping… Mary-Ann hinted that 6 would be an easier size to work with, although “they do swell up to make extremely large buns once baked”. I decided that the consensus of my consumers (being my hubby and brother) would be ‘the bigger the better’, so I happily chose the easier option of 6 hefty buns rather than 8 daintier ones!
Take a look at Mary’s version for photographic evidence!
http://timetocookonline.com/?s=banana+bun
I think mine resembled iced fingers rather than the banana-shaped buns that Mary achieves, however as far as most humble homebakers are concerned (I hope!), it’s the taste that counts… right?! They may not be the prima ballerinas of the dough world, but they have a their own heart and charm, I think- big honest buns.
I jazzed mine up a bit with the piped chocolate squiggles- a fab idea from Carlos I must say! One of his all-time favourite flavour combos is Banana/chocolate, so he was pleased with the outcome!
Here are my buns before Carlos recommended the chocolate addition :
Thanks for that stroke of genius babe, I think you’ll agree that they look a lot more appealing for it! (see first pic)
The verdict from my taste panel was that these buns were very enjoyable, with a nice light texture. Thanks Mary-Anne for this one, I think they have achieved a resounding thumbs-up!
