I have always been on the lookout for a definitive banana bread recipe,
and I've finally found it in the form of my friend Lauren's MIL's recipe (which I have since learned is the banana bread recipe from the 1970 Betty Crocker's Cookbook (the red one with the wheel of food on the cover). It's
not what I normally think of when I think of banana bread -- that is to say a
slightly spicy bread filled with nuts. In contrast, it is pale, white, devoid
of spice (although you can certainly add spice in), and also devoid of mix-ins
(which again, you can always add back in). It also has, to my thinking, a lot
of baking powder in it, and I was expecting there to be an aftertaste. But I
tried the recipe because I trust my friend Lauren's opinion since she too is an
avid baker. And to my great surprise, I preferred this recipe of plain banana
bread to any other that I've tried yet, and I think you will too. It is fluffy
and pure, with a banana taste that hits you right in the face.
I've made this bread plain, with chocolate chips, and with cinnamon and
pecans, and that is the order of my preference -- plain, chocolate chip, and
then nuts/spice. I'd highly recommend making it plain the first time you try it,
and then you can always change it up later if your tastebuds want something
extra.
