Banana bread is a delicious and nutritious treat that people worldwide have enjoyed for centuries. Banana bread can be found in many different forms and flavors, from classic recipes to create new variations. Many people enjoy baking banana bread as a way to use up overripe bananas or as a way to add a touch of sweetness to their day.
Brief History and Origin
The origin of banana bread is unclear; however, it is believed that it was first created in the Caribbean during the 19th century when bananas were first introduced there. The earliest known recipe for banana bread dated back to 1933 and was published in a cookbook called “The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book” by Fannie Merritt Farmer. This recipe used mashed bananas instead of eggs and included instructions on making a light, moist loaf of banana bread. Since then, many variations have been created with different ingredients, such as nuts, chocolate chips, and spices like cinnamon or nutmeg.
Banana Bread – The Recipe
- Preparation Time: 15 mins
- Cooking Time: 50 mins
- Total time: 1 hr 5 min
- Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 140g softened butter
- 140g light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 140g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 2 mashed bananas, very ripe
- ¼ tsp. salt
Instructions
- Prepare oven and preheat to 160 degrees C. Also, prepare a loaf tin by lining the bottom and sides with parchment paper.
- In a bowl, add butter and sugar, mix until cream-like consistency, then gradually add beaten eggs and flour, and mix well.
- Then add mashed bananas and baking powder, mix again and transfer the dough to the prepared loaf tin.
- Place the loaf tin in the preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes or until thoroughly cooked and the inserted skewer comes out clean.
- When done, take out of the oven, allow to cool for 10 minutes, then remove from tin and place on the wire rack until completely cool. Then slice and serve.
Popular variations
Here are a few ways you can change this basic recipe to adjust it to your liking:
- Cranberry Banana Bread: moist banana bread with a hint of tart flavors from Cranberry is a great combination.
- Walnut Banana bread:The crunch from walnuts make the banana bread more tasteful.
- Blueberry Banana Bread:juiciness of blueberries pair well with banana bread.
- Butterscotch Banana Bread: the rich, buttery, caramel-like butterscotch and banana bread is a perfect holiday dish.
- Chocolate Chip Banana Bread:Adding chocolate chips to classic banana bread is loved not by kids but adults as well.
