I often tell people that my culinary endeavors started in the pandemic, and for the most part that’s true, but the more I reflect the more I see “moments” where the start of this journey goes back much further.
Case in point; zucchini bread.
Folks in Vermont grow a lot of zucchini. In fact the running joke is Vermonters lock their car doors in the summer to prevent their neighbors from dropping of their overflowing squash harvest. That certainly was the case for us during our first summer here in 2019. We had so much zucchini that I had to find creative ways to utilize it. A quick Google search provided me with a simple zucchini bread recipe that I still use today.
It is with that “simple bread” recipe in mind that I offer another popular alternative; banana bread.
The ingredients are listed above so I’m not going to relist them here. I will say that I added pecans to this recipe since that’s what I had available on hand.
I can’t over state how important the mindset of “mise en place” is to baking and cooking. It’s an expression we’re gifted from the French and refers to "putting in place" or "everything in its place.” I like to lay all my ingredients out and reread my recipe a few times to save me the painstaking realization that I’m missing something in the middle of baking! That happened too many times in those early days!
The recipe from the church cookbook I used requires a small amount of banana which I appreciate. I was able to get right at a cup with just two mashed/ripened bananas.
I decided to use my stand mixer for the creaming of the flour and sugar. I use the “2nd” setting speed and blend the two for several minutes before dropping in each egg individually with a few minutes or so in between each addition. While that’s going on, I sift all my dry ingredients in another bowl. Once all the eggs are combined/mixed well, I alternate adding my dry ingredients and mashed banana a little at a time. The above pic is the final result, minus the pecans.
My pecans were whole and I wanted them crudely crushed. I tossed them in a zip lock bag and whacked them a few times with a rolling pin until they looked about right to me. You can do this step at any time in the process.
Into the bowl they go an there they are “folded” in. To do this, I removed the bowl from the stand mixer and combine the pecans into the batter with a spatula.
Into the oven for about 50 minutes (that’s about what it takes for me at the parsonage) and BOOM; you’ve got yourself some warm, tasty, satisfying banana bread.
Chewing the Fat…
I wanted to share this recipe for two reasons. The first is that it is from a cookbook gifted to my grandmother by my Aunt Pat. Brookstown United Methodist Church was where Pat and her family attended worship for many years. The reason I know this was a gift from Pat to my grandmother was that my grandmother’s handwriting is in the back of the book saying so. “Christmas 1982” was the date it exchanged hands between daughter and mother. I was two years old at the time and more than likely present that Christmas morning. Being able to run my fingers over my “maw-maw’s” handwriting is pretty special. I’d even call it sacred.
The other reason I shared this particular recipe is because of it’s simplicity. In fact it’s what’s referred to as a “simple or basic bread.” Those terms indicate the ease of which these breads can be thrown together with few ingredients and with little experience in the kitchen needed to produce a delicious loaf. It’s safe to say that a banana bread is a good place to start if you’re looking to try your hand at baking, because sometimes trying something new can just feel intimidating.
For myself, even as someone cooking and baking everyday for the last several months, I can feel not only intimidated but also turned off by more intricate recipes. Some times that means trying to wrangle up an odd ingredient (Like, when and where would I use this anywhere else?) or other times the multiple steps and needed time just don’t jive with my current schedule. Banana bread, zucchini bread, and other types of simple breads can give a budding baker a boost of confidence and use ingredients that most already have in their pantries and cabinets.
In the South, an expression used to name those who your are related to is “kinfolk.” Another way to say this is “your people.” My great Aunt Emmie used to ask folks “who their people were” when she met them. This acted as a way for her to get a better idea of who they were and where they came from. Food can do the same thing. What kind of person you are can be seen by what food goes on your plate and what you choose to share with others. Part of my kitchen experimenting is realizing what kind of baker I am and what line of bakers and cooks I come from, and while I appreciate those bakers and professional chefs that can do amazing mind-blowing things with food and drinks, I know “my people” were/are those that worked in kitchens with family and friends in mind. In that same spirit, to use what you got and make something tasty out of it, is both my heritage and present undertaking. Sometimes that can appear fancy, but a lot of the time it’s practical and simple in its approach. Maybe my understanding of faith works like that too.
As you were,
~tBSB