The long-distance banana bread
A loaf story
The first time I've attempted to bake a banana bread was during lockdown. Back on the 1st April, I was self-isolating in Portugal, my boyfriend was in London and for 2 months I had no flights available to come back to the UK.
I've always liked banana flavoured things, and I did have some bananas sitting in the kitchen counter.
After some online research, I found a recipe that I connected with and decided to give it a try. Here it is:
No need for a mixer for this recipe! Clean-up is easy too, if you want, you can mix everything in one mixing bowl. The best bananas to use for banana bread are those that are over-ripe. The yellow peels should be at least half browned, and the bananas inside squishy and browning.
INGREDIENTS
2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
1/3 cup melted butter, unsalted or salted
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if you would like it sweeter)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
METHOD
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and butter a 4x8-inch loaf pan.
2 In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until completely smooth. Stir the melted butter into the mashed bananas.
3 Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
4 Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350°F (175°C) or until a tester inserted into the centre comes out clean.
5 Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren't crumbly.)
When me and my boyfriend finally reunited, we self-isolated for 2 weeks and I probably baked this banana bread at least 4 times! Since then it's been a regular between us. He still smiles and closes his eyes at the first bite like he did the first time he tasted it! Please do ignore the advice on the recipe and make sure you try a slice while it's still warm. You won't regret it.
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