bananananana bread

i think we all have those recipes that are so ingrained in our routines that we’ll never have to look them up again – we can recite them off the top of our heads to friends, family members and co-workers. they’re just simple, familiar foods that will always satisfy and make you feel good inside.

banana bread has a special place in my heart because it’s one of the earliest things i learned to bake. and as simple as this quick bread is, the first time i bake from any recipe, i invariably return every other minute to the post-it note instructions i’ve hastily transposed from a cookbook or some website to make sure i haven’t screwed up.

but when i started making banana bread every few weeks, and then every week, and then every few days, the motions became automatic. soon i could whip up a batch and have it in the oven in 5 or 6 minutes. i suddenly became aware that i was getting better at it, which made me more confident to try new recipes.

and for as many times as i make banana bread, i haven’t ever deviated from this recipe (or sought out alternatives). i don’t think i could find anything better.

banana bread
priscilla first made this for me in college (thanks!), but i’m not sure where she found the recipe…

8 Tbsp butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas (the riper the better)
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
4-6 oz chocolate chips (optional)
4-6 oz chopped walnuts (optional)

1. soften the butter and mix in the sugar. add in the eggs and mix completely.

2. mash up the bananas in the milk and add the cinnamon. it’s ok if it’s lumpy. add the banana mixture into the butter mixture.

3. combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and add to the wet ingredients. don’t overmix; just break up any large clumps of flour and get everything moist. mix in the chocolate chips or walnuts.

4. carefully pour into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 F for one hour (i go an extra 5 minutes if i add chocolate chips). remove from oven and let rest in the loaf pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack to cool.