When Life is bananas, what do you do? I make banana bread. Banana bread is a quick bread that is more like a cake. Quick breads are divided into two categories; those made with dough and those made with batters. Dough quick breads include biscuits or scones, while batter quick breads include zucchini bread, cornbread, and muffins. Unlike other bread recipes, quick breads are leavened with baking powder instead of yeast. This allows them to be baked sooner than yeast risen dough. Bananas appeared in the US in the 1870s but it took a while for them to appear as ingredients in desserts. The advent of refrigeration at the turn of the 20th century made bananas a staple in the American household. Bananas were used as a garnish on cakes or puddings until baking powder was invented in 1856 by a Harvard chemistry professor. Baking powder began to be commercially produced at the start of the 1900s. The first quick banana bread recipe was published by Pillsbury in 1933.
I always have some bananas around. Betsy likes them, since in moderation; bananas are a good treat for dogs. They are high in potassium, vitamins, biotin, fiber and copper. They are low in sodium and cholesterol but because they are high in sugar, they are only a treat. This week’s recipe is for banana bread, a recipe that I grew up with. My mom made it often and it changed depending on her mood. She would make a loaf and freeze it so that we could take it camping with us. Sliced and toasted over a fire, it made a great breakfast. She added chocolate chips or walnuts at times. Most bakes included frosting. She used cream cheese or peanut butter frosting the most. This bread freezes well too.
Banana bread
1 cup sugar
1 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 bananas
2 eggs
½ cup solid Crisco
Mix together sugar, flour, salt and baking soda. In a blender, mix together bananas, eggs and Crisco. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix. Pour into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour at 350°F. Remove from pan when cool and store in the refrigerator.
Peanut butter frosting
1 heaping cup of smooth peanut butter (I use Jiff)
1/4 cup softened butter (not melted)
4 tablespoons milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Dash of salt
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Beat together well the first four ingredients. Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time and mix until smooth. Beat until it is fluffy and light. This takes about four minutes; the color will lighten up as you beat it. If it is too thick, add a few more drops of milk. If it’s too thin, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar one at a time. This makes a thick frosting.
Photos by Shelly Koon
