Banana bread in a pandemic
by Melissa Yu Vanti, Former Terroir Symposium Event Coordinator
“I give credit to Charlotte Knight who shared the original recipe with me when we were in high school. I have returned to this banana bread recipe over and over when the pile of overly-ripe, brown-skinned bananas has amassed in the freezer bin.
The recipe has never failed to turn out a tender loaf that is not-too-sweet, perfectly moist, and a reliable crowd-pleaser. When asked to offer some additional descriptors, my partner Alan said that he would describe it as “bouncy” and “reminiscent of the inside of a canelé”. If you have the skills to turn rotting fruit into a delicious loaf, and access to everything you need (including time) to make a batch of banana bread (or any meal for that matter), I hope you are able to do so with gratitude and an awareness that you have everything you need to help right now.
There is no doubt that getting through this pandemic will take sacrifices and hardship, but together we can lessen the strain on those who we so desperately rely on and who have no choice but to work. If you are one of these people, thank you for all you do. You deserve all the banana bread in the world.”
Ingredients
1 cup very ripe (near rotten if you dare) mashed bananas
3/4 cups to 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sweet you’d like it)
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup full-fat yogurt
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch salt
1 1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour (we use K2 milling’s all purpose)
(Optional) 1 cup toasted and roughly chopped walnuts
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or pieces
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
2. Sift flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl.
3. In a second bowl, combine banana*, sugar, oil, yogurt, and eggs.
4. Mix dry ingredients gradually into wet (don’t overmix!).
5. If adding nuts and chocolate, gently fold them into the batter with a spatula.
6. Fill muffin cups ¾ full, or in a loaf pan ¾ full (best to line with parchment).
7. Bake for 25 minutes for muffins, 1 hour 20 minutes for large loaf.
8. Prick the centre with a toothpick or skewer. When done, it should come out clean.
*For a smoother consistency, mash banana until there are only small chunks of banana (you can also use a food processor). For a chunkier consistency, mash lightly so chunks are larger.