Hi Everyone, it’s been a while. I’ve been busy (in no particular order) with parenting, life stuff, work, and now that’s all amplified during the this COVID-19 Pandemic. I may share more about how we’re coping with that, and what I’m doing at work to prepare for that as a hospital based emergency and consult-liaison psychiatrist, but today I’m keeping it light, and sharing our family’s favorite Banana Bread recipe.

I have a long history with banana bread. When I was in high school, my friend Ellen and I would get together to study, bake and exercise.  When we finished our homework, we’d mix up a loaf of banana bread,  pop it into the oven, go rollerblading for about an hour and come back to eat it.   I subsequently made her mom’s recipe (which I may share another day) for several decades, until I came across this recipe by Flour Bakery.

I’m not the only one who loves this banana bread. The Kitchn recently did a bake off of 4 popular banana bread recipes, and this one came out on top.

Flour Bakery’s Banana Bread (*with slight modifications)

Ingredients

• 1 2/3 cups (210 grams) sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup sugar (*original recipe calls for 1 cup + 2 Tbsp)
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola or other flavorless oil
• 4 very ripe bananas, peeled and mashed.
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• *optional : chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F, with rack in the center of the oven.  Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper, spray with nonstick spray.
2.  Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
3. Beat sugar and eggs with a stand mixer using whisk attachment until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
4. Switch the mixer to low sleep, and slowly drizzle in oil.
5. Add mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla, and mix on low speed until just combined
6. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the flour mixture until combined, but do not overmix!  *If you wish, you can add a handful of chocolate chips here.
7.  Pour the batter into a lined loaf pan.  Fill about 3/4 full. If you have extra batter, make a couple of additional muffins (I use individual ramekins)
8.  Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour (less for the muffin sized ones). The bread should be golden brown and the cake will spring back when you press on it. 
9. Let it cool in pan on a wire rack for  30 minutes, then remove from the pan and let it cool.

Enjoy! If you make this, I’d love to hear what you think!