Grandma’s Ultimate Banana Bread From The Heart

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What is banana bread?

Banana bread is a type of moist bread comprised of mashed bananas that often requires no yeast in its recipe, though some recipes may call for it. It is typically eaten as a dessert, but is also suitable for breakfast or a filling late-night snack.

Ingredients

  • Non-stick baking spray (to prepare pan)
  • 8 tablespoons or 1 stick of unsalted butter (melted, room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 4 very ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts (optional)
ingredients for banana bread
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell

Cookware:

  • 9×5 non-stick loaf pan
  • Kitchen mixer (optional)
  • Medium bowl
scratched baking tin
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell

Instructions:

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 50-55 mins

Cool Time: 5 mins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the loaf pan by spraying it with the non-stick baking spray.

2. In a kitchen mixer (or in a large bowl with a fork), beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt in a bowl until blended. Add the bananas and mix until well combined.

mom snuggling daughter while making banana bread
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell
mashed up bananas in mixing bowl
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell
little girls eating banana bread batter off spoons
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell

3. In the medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (the bowl with the bananas) and mix until just combined.

wet and dry ingredients for banana bread
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell
little girls mixing banana bread ingredients
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell
ingredients combined for banana bread in mixing bowl
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell

5. Add nuts or chocolate chips (optional).

6. Pour mixture into the pan lined with non-stick baking spray.

7. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

8. Let cool and slice.

baked banana bread fresh out of the oven
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell

About This Recipe

My kids only like to eat bananas that have no spots. They call them the “pretty ones.” In fact, when our bananas start to get very ripe, they are quick to throw them away. Until one day, I told them the story as to why we never throw away bananas in our family.

Growing up, I vividly remember the various scents that would come from my grandma’s kitchen. My grandma celebrated her 100th birthday this year, and as I thought of the legacy that is her life, I remembered how so much of my childhood was spent in her kitchen. One of my favorite memories is using very ripe bananas to make a delicious, homemade banana bread. Over time, I have come to realize it was always so much more than the bread.

My grandma doesn’t remember much anymore. She is not very mobile, lives with my parents, and hasn’t baked in over 20 years. The last time we visited, it warmed my heart to see that my daughters enjoyed just sitting with her each day. It was as if her presence communicated a love that she could no longer express with words.

While planning to make banana bread on that trip, I found an old baking tin. It was pretty bent out of shape, but it was all they had for me to use. I later came to learn this was the only tin left lying around when they cleared out my grandma’s house; my dad held on to it.

As I washed off the tin, I noticed an inscription on the bottom: the name of my grandma’s very dear friend. Instantly, I recalled as a child when she would send me across the street to borrow tins when she was doing extra baking. It seems this particular one never made it back to its owner. Her friend passed away a long time ago, yet my grandma is still holding on to her tin. It represents a lifetime of friendship and sisterly love. What a legacy!

As we baked the bread, we weren’t sure how it would turn out. The pan was at least 70 years old; it was very thin and it started to bend as soon as the oven warmed up. But just like the love my grandma has always shown, the pan held up! It continues to withstand the test of time, and while it did bend under the heat, it certainly did not break.

As I continue this tradition with my children, I want to remind them that it’s so much more than bread. It’s a reminder that even when circumstances, like the bananas,  seem irredeemable, they can be turned into something of value. It’s about the legacy of love, like the bruised pan, that endures, believes, and finds hope in all things. This recipe is a reminder to my daughters that you are always valuable. That even when there are no more words, love never fails. I pray they never forget this legacy.

mom and her daughters smiling in kitchen
Courtesy of Claudia Campbell
banana bread all done

Banana Bread Recipe

Delicious, homemade banana bread that is always so much more than the bread.
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 55 mins
Cool Time 5 mins
Total Time 1 hr 15 mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6 people

Equipment

  • 9x5 non-stick loaf pan
  • kitchen mixer (optional)
  • medium-sized bowl

Ingredients
  

  • Non-stick baking spray (to prepare pan)
  • 8 tbsp butter (melted, room temperature)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 eggs (beaten)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup plain yogurt
  • 4 mashed bananas (very ripe)
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts (optional)

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the loaf pan by spraying it with the non-stick baking spray.
  • In kitchen mixer (or large bowl with a fork), beat the butter, sugar, eggs, vanilla and yogurt until blended. Add the bananas and mix until well combined.
  • In medium bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  • Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients (the bowl with the bananas) and mix until just combined. 
  • Add in nuts or chocolate chips (optional).
  • Pour mixture into pan lined with non-stick baking spray.
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 mins, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Let cool and slice.
Keyword Banana, Bread

This story was submitted to Love What Matters  by Claudia Campbell. Submit your own story  hereand be sure to subscribe to our free email newsletter for our best stories, and YouTube for our best videos.

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