Baking in Bogota

Baking in Bogota is complicated. First of all, many ingredients don't exist (brown sugar, vanilla extract, allspice, pecans, dried cranberries, bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate) and others are very hard to find/really expensive (almonds, walnuts, cocoa powder). Bogota is also situated at almost 8000 feet elevation, which also greatly affects baking. I find that things are too sweet and that they aren't done when the wooden tester stick comes out clean. To complicate things even more in my particular case, I don't have an oven! They fry all of their food here, so an oven is not necessary in a lot of households. I luckily work in a bakery (where we only make bread) and am allowed to use everything there but the ingredients, so I still find a way to bake!

Unfortunately, nothing has ever turned out to my liking. I am a pretty picky baker, but also very un-exact at the same time. I only absolutely love a few things, and always have high expectations for myself (although that doesn't keep me from eating obscene amounts of whatever I make!). I still continue to try, though, and my colleagues generally like what I make because they never know how it is "supposed" to turn out.

Here are a few of the things I have made since being here!

Gnocci! With Amy. This was the first time I tried it, and it went surprisingly well considering all of the bad stories I'd heard about making it. All that bread making is doing me well! The pesto is also homemade :) by Amy! But without pine nuts, since they don't exist here.

My work space at my "Family Family's" house. TINY. But I make do!

THE BEST BANANA BREAD EVER! So plain, no spices, no brown sugar, no nuts. Just banana bread goodness. This is one of my fall back recipes and probably will always be! I am posting the recipe below.

Also, since this recipe is so simple, I have made it with many ingredient substitutions! I have used brown sugar instead of white, a mixture of the two, and honey instead of sugar all together. My favorite has been the honey. The brown sugar didn't add anything special to it, and the honey feels healthier without jeopardizing the taste at all. I have used three bananas and four, small bananas and large, yellow bananas and brown, and it turned out great every time. I have tried adding spices, chocolate chips and nuts, but plain still is my favorite! Have fun with the recipe :)

Best Banana Bread

courtesy of Elise at Simply Recipes

3-4 ripe bananas, smashed

1/3 c. melted butter

3/4 c. sugar (I prefer scant 3/4 c. honey)

1 egg, beaten

1 t. vanilla

1 t. baking soda

pinch of salt

1 1/2 c. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mash bananas. Using a wooden spoon, mix in melted butter. Mix in sugar, egg and vanilla. Sprinkle baking soda and salt over mixture and stir. Add flour last and stir until combined. Pour into a buttered and floured loaf pan and bake one hour.