vintage bread.

I don't think I'm a banana kind of gal. Whenever I buy bananas, there always seem to be a lot left from the bunch. Even if I buy three pieces, the last two just seem to stay in the fruit basket for days on end. Usually, I end up freezing them before they start to rot. Even then, I only use a little bit banana in my smoothies...I find that using a lot makes them a tad too thick for my liking.

So, since I went grocery shopping about a week ago and grabbed a small bunch of bananas on impulse, I was left with some bananas that were turning a bit brown. A lot brown, actually. I actually put them in the fridge to delay the inevitable. Alas, they still turned before I even got to touch them. *sigh*

I took this opportunity to make some banana bread.

Since they were so brown, I wanted to try this recipe that I saved. It was a recipe from 1933 that the author of the website slightly doctored up. It didn't look too complicated...simple ingredients with straightforward instructions. I think the main reason that I wanted to make it was the name. "Black Bananas" seemed like an interesting thing to use, lol.

So how did it turn out? It was okay. Not too sweet and a little buttery. I used only half the bananas suggested and left out the nuts, so that may have affected the outcome. Also, my bananas weren't quite black yet so It wasn't so banana-ey as I hoped they would be. What I really liked was the texture of the bread. It was nice and soft and almost spongey...liked good quality sliced bread.

Would I make it again? Maybe...I think next time I'll swap out half the white sugar with brown and add some vanilla extract for added flavor. In the meantime, here's the original recipe...

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Vintage Black Banana Nut Bread
(from Bake This Bread!)

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas from dark-skinned ripe bananas (about 4 to 5 large)
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried cultured buttermilk (optional)
1/2 cup fine-chopped walnuts (substitute pecans or favorite nuts)
2 eggs, fork beaten
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon)
1/3 cup milk (2% is fine)
1 to 2 Tablespoons room temperature butter for basting the top of the bread

Preheat the oven to 350f degrees.

Measure out into a large bowl the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and dried cultured buttermilk (optional). Whisk dry ingredients thoroughly. Whisk the fine-chopped nuts into the dry ingredients. Set aside.

Stir the eggs into the mashed bananas and then stir in the lemon juice. Stir the banana-egg-lemon mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in the butter. Pour in and stir the milk until thoroughly incorporated (about 30 strokes). Do not overmix.

Pour all the batter into one pan if using a large loaf pan (the batter should reach to about 2/3 full if it’s all going into one pan) or two smaller pans. Place in oven and bake for about 75 minutes, if using larger bread pan. For the smaller pans, bake for about 65 minutes. Since oven differences can impact the baking time, check on your cakes beforehand. The banana bread will be done when it is somewhat cracked on top, the sides pull away slightly from the edges, a toothpick tests shows clean, the bread springs back a bit when gently pressed at the top center point and the internal temperature reaches about 210 degrees.

Cool the bread for 10 minutes in the pan before brushing the top of the bread with the remaining butter. Serve bread warm from the oven or after a one-day (or more) counter sitting time.