banana bread

a loaf of banana bread

I kicked off my blog with a post in which I swore off banana bread forever. A string of failed recipes had left me jaded.

Well.

I should have listened to Zack.

He told me I should try the recipe in a cookbook called Back Porch Secrets, a book of southern recipes collected and published by Eli’s grandmother’s sister. His great aunt? Marcia Bennett. It took a while for me to find the book, but I came across it when we finally finished building the cubbies!

red cubbies (beagle not included)

It’s a treasure. The back of the book is filled with excerpts from a cookbook published in 1870, with recipes for things like brain croquets, pigeon soup, “mush”, chitterlings and stewed eels, and a Georgia sponge cake that charmingly calls for twelve eggs, the weight of those in sugar, and the weight of six in flour, to be baked in a quick oven.

The recipe for Julia’s Extra Good Pimento Cheese was fantastic, and I’m hoping to soon have an occasion to make Eli’s great-grandmother’s Caramel Cake. And perhaps some Aggression Cookies, should the opportunity arise.

But I’m guessing you’re here for the banana bread.

I always seem to pick up some bananas at the grocery store. My intentions are good; I tell myself that they’ll make a nice, healthy snack. But somehow they end up withering away on the kitchen counter. It’s been about a year or so since my last banana bread bender, enough time for the memories to fade away.

This is The One. Moist, soft, perfect. I totally overbaked the thing, and it was still delightful.

slices of banana bread

 

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Banana Bread (from Back Porch Secrets)

makes one loaf

1 cup sugar (I used half white, half brown)

1 stick butter (salted, or if unsalted, add a pinch of salt to recipe), softened

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 extra-ripe regular sized bananas, or 3 small, mashed

1/2 cup nuts, chopped (used walnuts)

Preheat oven to 350. Sift together flour and baking soda. Grease a loaf pan. I used a 10″ loaf pan, which worked, but may have been overkill.

Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour/soda and mix just a few seconds, then add mashed bananas and vanilla. Mix just until combined, then fold in nuts using a rubber spatula.

Scrape mixture into loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.




5 responses to “banana bread”

  1. This looks wonderrfullll, im new to your blog and it is so beautiful! Your photos are gorgeous! Saving this recipe for sure and will be a regular visitor from now on :)

  2. Jen says:

    This is a great recipe, I actually have a loaf baking right now. This will be the 3rd time I’ve made it. Thanks!!

  3. Maria says:

    GREAT recipe! I’ve even substituted in rice flour for gluten free, and it’s still very good!

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