Toaster Oven Banana Bread

I may have mentioned this previously but the bottom element of our oven burned out sometime this past spring. Over this extremely hot summer the fact I couldn't use the oven wasn't much of a hardship (although I do love to bake) but with the return of cooler weather I find myself wishing for freshly baked goods and attempting ways to side-step the need for our full oven. My latest experiment included banana bread and tiny receptacles baked in our tiny toaster oven. I tried it two different ways: once completely baked in the toaster oven and once started in the microwave and finished in the toaster oven (this latter method sans the metal pans, of course). I found the microwave cut down significantly on the baking time but gave the little loaves less of a loaf shape - it seemed to cause the tops to remain flat rather than puff a little. The problem I had with the larger dishes in the toaster oven was that they seemed primarily to brown on the tops and the sides were fairly crustless (although still baked through). Because my favourite part of the banana loaf is the crust this poses a slight problem but there seems to be enough top-to-bread ratio in these sizes to satisfy my crusty cravings.

Over all I think I shall call this a success. And will likely make several more attempts at this technique in the coming weeks. I have heard rumours that our oven may be fixed soon but I will wait until it actually occurs before planning on it happening.