Banana Bread

bananabreadclassic3 Halfway between a bread and a dessert, banana bread has a special place in the North American cuisine - almost everyone knows how to make it, and almost everyone has their own family recipe or secret ingredient. Uncomplicated and versatile, banana bread can be served alone or combined with fresh fruit, ice-cream or cream cheese. The preparation starts by mixing the dry ingredients - sifted flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and/or baking powder in one bowl, and the wet ingredients - bananas, eggs, milk or water, buttermilk, vanilla, and oil or solid fats in another. The dry and wet ingredients are then combined gently, followed by nuts and other additions such as raisins, seeds or spices. Finally, the batter is transferred to a lightly greased loaf pan and baked for approximately one hour at 350˚F. Because of its dense texture, banana bread can remain fresh for an entire week if wrapped in plastic foil and kept in the fridge.

Although both bananas and nuts were eaten for thousands of years, the banana bread itself is a relatively new invention. The earliest recipe for banana bread was published in 1849 and is based on an older traditional recipe from West India. Recipes for cakes and other desserts containing bananas were, on the other hand, present since the 1880s, when this fruit became widely available across the United States. Interestingly enough, in a 1902 Mrs. Rorer’s New Cook Book banana desserts were featured in a special section named Hawaiian Recipes. In the 1920s baking soda was heavily marketed through recipes in various magazines and newspapers, which often included instructions on how to make banana bread. The banana bread which we know today - based on mashed bananas - evolved in the 1930s, probably as a method of saving over-ripe bananas, and during the 1960s it garnered a reputation as a healthy snack. Even today, banana bread is among the most beloved American dishes, and the National Banana Bread Day is celebrated on February 23rd.

This recipe has been passed down through the generations. As each family embraced the tradition, it has been added to, adjusted, left plain and embellished; but the end result has always been the same.

½ cup butter
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1½ cup all purpose flour, unbleached
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
½ cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C/155°C fan, Gas Mark 3). Line with parchment paper or grease and lightly flour a regular loaf pan or two small loaf pans. Rub a generous amount of butter around every inch of the pan and then spoon approximately 1 Tbsp. of flour into the pan. Then tip the pan and tap to distribute the flour. Rotate pan and tap. Continue until there is a light coating of flour on every surface. Tap out the leftover flour.

Mash bananas in a small bowl and set aside.

Sift flour, then soda and salt together in a bowl. At this time, stir in any add-ins that will be used. Set aside.

Cream butter and add sugar and eggs. Blend well. Stir in vanilla. Add 1/3 flour mixture and blend. Add 1/3 banana. Blend. Continue adding flour/banana until all is mixed together.

Pour into prepared loaf pans. Bake for 60-75 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove from the oven. Let stand for 5 minutes before removing from pans. Allow to cool on a baking rack before slicing.

Makes 1 loaf.

Cook's Notes:

Bananas: Even though banana bread was most likely invented to save overly-ripe bananas, the truth is that it is better to use bananas that are just ripe. Overly ripe bananas may cause the banana bread to become gummy, while green bananas will make the bread crumbly and dry. If your bananas are not ripe enough, mash them, cover the bowl and leave for 30 minutes. The bananas can be mashed roughly, puréed in a food processor, or chopped, depending on your preferences.
Nuts: Pecan nuts and walnuts are most commonly used to make banana bread. However, any other nuts - almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts - or seeds, such as sunflower, pumpkin, linseed or chia will do. Nuts can be chopped or left whole, and toasting them briefly will give them a richer flavour.
Flour: Many banana bread recipes call for mixing regular, all-purpose flour with whole grain flour. This is because whole grain flower retains more liquid, hence making the banana bread moister and juicier. Sift the flour before stirring in other ingredients to remove clumps and achieve a lighter texture.
Sugar: The amount of sugar in banana bread can vary from one recipe to another. Still, there is one easy trick for an extra tasty banana bread - toasting the sugar shortly. This is done by placing sugar in a glass or ceramic baking dish and baking it in the oven for 1 hour at 300˚F, stirring occasionally. Although most recipes suggest using white caster sugar, you can use brown sugar, unrefined sugars or honey, but keep in mind this may lead to the batter not rising properly.
Fats: When it comes to fat, there are a few different options for a banana bread - Canola or other vegetable oils, butter and coconut oil. The choice of oil depends on personal preference, but some recipes claim that coconut oil turned out to be the best option, since it is solid at room temperature, thus giving the banana bread slow-melting sensation during eating.
Technique: The usual technique for making the banana bread is mixing the dry and the wet ingredients separately. The wet ingredients are then added to the dry ones and folded gently until just combined. In this stage, avoid using the mixer, because it will make the batter too smooth, and the nuts may break your mixing paddles.
Baking: Usually, banana bread is baked in a greased loaf pan at 350˚F for about 1 hour, or until the banana bread rises and becomes brown. To check if it is ready, insert a toothpick or a wooden stick into the center of the loaf - if it comes out clean, the baking is finished. Alternatively, you can check the internal temperature with a baking thermometer - it should be around 206˚F. The banana bread batter can be divided and baked in greased muffin pans, but keep in mind that this will shorten the baking process.
Optional Add-Ins: Add ½ of a cup of: chocolate chips, dried and fresh fruit, seeds, nuts, spices, yogurt, honey, ginger, raisins, desiccated coconut - when it comes to banana bread, almost anything goes. If you use fresh fruit, especially berries, fold them into the batter very gently. Since the batter is quite thick, there is no need to cover them in flour like it is done with sponge cake recipes.