Comfort Food: Banana Bread
I sometimes call myself a baker, but really, all I make is banana bread. Lots of it.
Comfort Food follows the most practical part of my magic practice—recipes. Here’s what keeps my household healthy.
Recipe first! You’ll need a 9x5-inch loaf pan—of course, you can use other pans, but the time and temperature I’m using are ideal for my loaf pan. This recipe makes about eight to 10 servings or less if you really like banana bread. Usually, it lasts for a week at my house. Ingredients:
3 ripe bananas
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
150 g or 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
180 g or 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
If you don’t have three ripe bananas, then you’re not making banana bread. Just kidding! I sometimes have only one or two bananas—when that happens, I substitute 1/2 cup of Greek yogurt for each banana. They say pumpkin puree works, too, but I haven’t tried it because who wants banana and pumpkin bread? You can also sprinkle chocolate chips on top. I do 60 to 90 grams, which is about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. This works well to balance out the flavors if you substitute one or two bananas for Greek yogurt because the yogurt doesn’t bring the same sweetness that the fruit does to the bread.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or spray the loaf pan and cover the insides with parchment paper. Usually, I just cut a rectangle and cover just the long sides of the pan. It’s just for pulling out the loaf smoothly, anyway.
Mash the bananas in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the melted butter. I typically cut the butter into little tbsp-sized chunks and put them in a small bowl, then microwave for 30 seconds. If you’re substituting yogurt, this would be when you’d add it.
Add salt and baking soda and mix. Add sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix. You can use a fork or a whisk.
Add flour and mix. I like to use a spatula for this step—add the flour a little at a time, then fold. I’m always careful, so I don’t overmix the batter or leave chunks of flour in. If you’re worried about that latter part, you can sift the flour in.
Pour the mix into the loaf pan. This would be when you’d add the chocolate chips on top if you want. Bake for 45 minutes.
Why Is Banana Bread So Popular?
If you’ve baked before, there’s a chance you’ve made banana bread. It’s one of the easiest baking recipes. You don’t need to cream your butter and sugar, so it’s easier to make this than a batch of cookies. The only thing easier than banana bread would be to make cake or brownies from a box mix. It also makes bananas more accessible—as if they needed the help—because with a banana bread recipe under your belt, you’ll never be worried about bananas going bad and heading straight to the trash.
Banana bread is also great for beginner bakers who want to bake more than just other people’s recipes. There’s so much you can add to banana bread to make it your own. I’ve tried adding chocolate chips, peanut butter, maple syrup, yogurt, and more—but not at the same time. I should try an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink version or at least a version with nuts. Whatever the case may be, you can make your own version without much fuss and call yourself a baker right away.
Why Does Banana Bread Remind Me of Home?
It’s not really banana bread that reminds me of home. It’s bananas. I always talk about mangos, but bananas were the staple fruit in my childhood home. Different varieties, too! We always had at least two of the three Filipino favorites: lakatan, saba, and señorita.
When I started living on my own, I didn’t really buy bananas that often. It was just too much work to remember to eat all of a bunch before they went bad. I thought that way until I decided that I would wear a baker’s hat once in a while. I tried a few banana bread recipes and eventually developed my own. It also helps that my husband and my dog both love bananas! I say my banana bread lasts for a week, but that’s only because I cut thin slices.
Do You Want to Be a Baker?
Do you want to know a secret? I make banana bread after failed bakes. When a cookie or loaf recipe doesn’t come out right, I sulk and get mad at myself. I make banana bread to get me out of that funk because I know it will always come out right. It’s also healthier than other treats, so I don’t feel “fat” if I cut off more than one slice for myself. So this is me sharing something that makes me feel a whole lot better with the world.
Admit it. You’ve watched the Great British Bake Off and dreamed of wearing an apron and baking up a storm. Go nuts! I have—well, not really, as I don’t actually like nuts and seldom put them in my bakes. Banana bread is your best friend. Go make a loaf and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Photo by Jeff Vanderspank on Unsplash
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