[Diana] “….in the last paragraph, where PERCEVAL clasps AVERIL in his arms and says, `Sweetheart, the beautiful coming years will bring us the fulfillment of our home of dreams,’ I added, `in which we will never use any baking powder except Rollings Reliable.'”
“Oh,” gasped poor Anne, as if some one had dashed cold water on her.

– L.M. Montgomery, Anne of the Island.

If you aren’t familiar with the above hilarious scene from Anne of the Island (the third of the Anne of Green Gables series, beloved childhood favorites of mine), Anne has been undone by good intentions. Her dear friend Diana, unbeknownst to Anne, has sent off one of her stories to a sponsored contest and, with the best of intentions, takes it upon herself to just slip in the company’s name to meet the requirements of the contest. (Um, yeah, sponsored content ain’t new, y’all. The book was published in 1915.) Anne’s story wins the contest, but at what price? Poor Anne – she sees her work compromised but can’t possibly express her true dismay to a best friend who only had her best interests at heart.

The Banana Bread Connection

So what do Anne and Rollings Reliable have to do with banana bread? Baking powder, my friend.

Turns out banana bread saw its rise due to two things: the Great Depression and the mass production of commercial baking powder and baking soda. The former saw families trying to use up all their food, including rotten, speckled bananas. The latter made home-baking of breads a whole lot easier and quicker. Check out this charming King Arthur Flour article which traces different banana bread recipes since the 1930s, showing how they reflect the culture at large.

The Steps

• Sift dry ingredients together.

• Cream together butter and sugars.
• Add eggs one at a time.

• Add vanilla, mashed bananas and yogurt.

• Fold in chocolate chips.
• Scoop into loaf pan.

• Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 55 minutes.

Reality Bakes

The recipe here is fairly traditional in its bananas, sugar, leavener, fat, and flour. What’s different? Some delicious Greek yogurt and a hint of cardamom. (Love me some cardamom. I add it to my Linzer cookies, too.) Oh yes, and the chocolate chips. You can leave them out but why would you want to?

My banana bread always seems to be done at 50 minutes exactly. I also find that greasing the loaf pan with butter works out better than spray oil in that the final result is prettier.

Print Pin

Best Banana Bread

Moist, delicious banana bread with a hint of spice and chocolate.

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings 1 loaf

Author Jen Leigh

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp cardamom
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt, fat or non-fat
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and granulated and light brown sugar. Add eggs one at a time and mix well, scraping the bowl between and after each addition. Add vanilla extract, banana mash, and Greek yogurt, mixing well after each addition.
• Gradually add flour to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Don’t overmix.
• Fold in chocolate chips, if using.
• Pour batter evenly a well-greased 9-inch loaf pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
• Let cool in pan on a wire rack before turning out.

Course Bread

Cuisine American

Keyword banana bread

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