Her Banana Bread

Many families have at least one cherished recipe that is passed on to the next generation.  It may be a secret ingredient pie crust recipe, a coffee cake that was a county fair winner, or a pasta sauce that needs to simmer all day long.  Sometimes it’s written down, others are shared from memory.

Our most used family recipe which was handed down from my grandmother to my mother, and then to my siblings and me is for her banana bread. My mother used to make it just before her bananas were too far gone or else, she’d try to buy the fruit when it looked about ready for baking. Plus, she loved freezing the bread to have on hand whenever she had unexpected guests at the house. While Mom wrote on her recipe cards who she received recipes from, I’ve never known where this banana bread recipe originated. Was it my grandmother’s or from someone else in the family?

I’ve shared the recipe with friends, and it’s always been known as Mom’s banana bread.  It always warms my heart when I receive messages saying, “Guess what I’m doing? I’m making your mom’s banana bread!”  And whenever I make it, it reminds me of her.

Once the smashed bananas and cold water are added, the mixture takes on a curdle-like consistency until the dry ingredients are added.

I used to wonder why this recipe called for stiff egg whites to be folded into the batter, which seemed like an unnecessary extra step. But it does create an extra fluffy batter and a nice soft texture once it’s baked.

My mother had this old, extra-long, darkened bread pan she used only for banana bread.  She would add finely chopped walnuts to the batter using a vintage glass nut grinder. I bake my bread in three little pans and add chocolate chips to one loaf for my kids.

Three yummy little beauties.

This one turned out a bit overdone on the bottom, but it still has that same familiar flavor I grew up with all those years ago.

They say certain scents, songs, and food can transport a person back to a special time. I believe it. It may be over 19 years ago now, but I can still feel her love in every bite.