La Platicona Habla: Tastes, Passions and Pursuits

I've been baking this banana bread since I discovered my mother's Menonite cookbook buried in our kitchen cupboards when I was 8. My Aunt Lilly sent my mother, many years ago, the "Christian Home Cookbook," a cookbook with recipes assembled from Menonite colonies across the country, and has recently sent us a new edition printed a few years ago. There are four banana bread recipes and I have baked all of them. From these, I have combined what I thought were the most essential ingredients to make my own AnnaBanana Bread. I share with all of you a sure fire recipe for this delightful morning treat.

You will need: 3 ripe bananas; 3/4 c sugar; 1/4 c butter slightly melted; 1/2 tsp of baking soda dissolved in 1tsp water; 1 egg slightly beaten; 1 tsp of baking powder (add 1 more if at 6000+ feet in altitude); 2 c flour sifted.

Crockery: Bake these in small loaf pans or even muffin pans because high altitude prevents the middle of this bread from baking all the way through without burning the outside. Butter and flour the pan.

Step One: Preheat oven to 350 degrees (175 degrees Celsius).

Step Two: In a large bowl, mash bananas with a fork until runny. Add sugar, baking soda, and butter. Mix these ingredients with a wooden spoon (don't blend with a mixer, ever ever). Beat egg and incorporate into mixture.

Step Three: Sift flour and baking powder into wet mixture and stir in until completely incorporated. Pour into 3 mini loaf pans and bake for 20-27 minutes or until golden brown on top. Turn off oven, leaving bread in there to cool down. Serve hot with butter, or eat the following morning with your coffee. MMMMMM.

Tip: You can flavor your banana bread with grated ginger, spices like nutmeg or cinnamon, fresh walnuts, frangelico, rum, or any other spirit you like.

Labels: banana, bread, dessert