Banana Bread

The History of Banana Bread

Discovering the Banana

Once upon a time, very few Americans had ever seen a banana, much less eaten one. The 1876 Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia showcased a 40-acre display of tropical plants, including banana trees. During the exposition, individual tinfoil wrapped bananas were sold for the princely sum of ten cents. By the turn of the century, refrigerated steamships and railway cars were bringing bananas to all parts of North America. It took enterprising home cooks a few years to realize the baking potential of starchy, sweet bananas in quick breads, but soon there were many versions of homemade banana bread and banana nut bread featured in popular magazines and cookbooks.

The Rise of Banana Bread

Every decade the world has changed, and those changes have been reflected in our cooking, and homemade banana bread is no exception.

Due to the Depression households didn’t want to waste anything, even a “rotten” banana. By the early 1930s, you could find a banana bread recipe—using very ripe mashed bananas as the main ingredient—in many cookbooks.

After the Depression, the start of WWII brought about food rations and introduced buttermilk, a less expensive option than regular milk, to banana bread. The 1950’s brought moms back into the kitchen in full force and "Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook," gave them the Banana-Nut Loaf, a low-fat, low-sugar recipe that fed a crowd.

In the 60’s and 70’s we all learned more about healthy eating, and the vegetarian-based Moosewood Cookbook gave us a dense, flat loaf studded with sesame seeds.

The next two decades brought bold flavors, like spices and different flours to our classic banana bread. In the last twenty years, specialized diets have come into the forefront, and we’ve all learned much more about gluten-free and paleo banana bread recipes.

How To Make Banana Bread

This homemade banana bread recipe is so easy to put together. The exact steps are found below, but here’s the scoop on how this classic banana bread comes together.

Combine the Wet Ingredients

Start by mixing together the softened butter and sugar. Next add the ripened bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Look for bananas that are too squishy and soft to enjoy eating on their own. The darker the banana the sweeter the flavor.

Mix in the Dry Ingredients

Mix in the dry ingredients, including nuts or other mix-ins you might have opted for, then mix until moist. The batter will be thick, so you’ll need to spoon it into the greased loaf pans.

Bake

Bake the loaves until a toothpick inserted into the center of your banana breads comes out clean and your home smells like your favorite bakeshop.

Storing Your Banana Bread

Moist banana bread is ideal for anyone looking for a make-ahead banana bread recipe, because it keeps well in both the refrigerator and the freezer.

To make-ahead, cool the homemade banana bread completely on a cooling rack. Once the loaves are cool, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap. They will store well in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. To freeze the loaves, wrap tightly in plastic wrap, then place them in resealable freezer plastic bags and freeze for up to 3 months. This will help keep the loaves from drying out and prevent them from getting freezer burn.