I think we're all going a little bananas right now. From being confined to our homes to the constant stream of disheartening and conflicting news to the worry of not seeing a definitive end to the pandemic, the nerves of even the most Zen people are absolutely frayed. I certainly have moments of overwhelming panic when the idea of taking my family to Mass or meeting a friend for breakfast seems as unfathomable as a trip to Mars. BUT, I choose to find comfort in the mundane and to find love in the ordinary. What else is there? And this week, thanks to my weekly farm box delivery and the valiant efforts of my wonderful husband who braved the grocery store so we could restock the larder, I am flush with bananas. When the first bunch started to brown, I knew immediately it was time to bake banana bread. And not just any banana bread, but my Banana Streusel Spice Bread.
All you need is love, and maybe some banana bread
Banana bread is one of the first recipes I ever learned to bake from scratch. Simple, comforting and completely forgiving (you cannot mess it up), it never lets you down. When there currently isn't so much in the world we can rely on, at least there is good old dependable banana bread. I've tinkered with the recipe for the better part of the past three decades, and I've got to say I think it's pretty near perfect. The streusel crumb topping and addition of warm cinnamon and citrusy cardamom really make it sing.
Crumbly streusel makes everything better
Instead of baking one large loaf, I bake 4 smaller loaves. That way I can share the love with friends and neighbors. I have a silicone pan with four wells made by Wilton that is just right for this recipe. You can find it on Amazon. Or, you can bake one large loaf and that will be wonderful too. You can even use the recipe for muffins, although they will be very moist and dense and more banana bread-like than a cakey muffin. But it's all good. If you have to go bananas, why not do it in style?
All dressed up and ready to go
Banana Streusel Spice Bread (makes four small loaves or one giant one, 0r 12 muffins)
Ingredients:
For the bread:
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted (salted, unsalted, whatever)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/4 cup milk (or sour cream or greek yogurt or buttermilk or nutmilk)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 bananas - they should be overly ripe with brown spots)
2 cups all purpose flour (or 1 to 1 gluten free flour, or cake flour, or whole wheat pastry flour)
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cardamom
For the streusel topping:
1/4 cup cold butter (1/2 stick, 4 tbsp)
1/2 cup flour
2 tbsp packed brown sugar
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Method:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease loaf pans. In a large bowl, combine melted butter with both sugars and whisk to combine completely. Add eggs, one at a time, and whisk to combine. Add milk, vanilla, and mashed bananas, and whisk to combine. Add flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and cardamom and stir with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula.
Pour batter into prepared pan(s). Make the streusel: Cut butter into small cubes. Add flour, sugars and cinnamon. With a pastry blender, or two forks, cut butter into the dry ingredients until it looks like sandy pebbles. Use your hands to really work the butter into the dry ingredients so you have an even crumb. Top bread batter with crumb mixture. If you're only making one large loaf, you might have a little extra, but pack it on to get maximum effect. Bake for 35 minutes (for the four smaller loaves), or 55-65 minutes for the large loaf. It is done when it is golden brown and a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Tastes great right out of the oven (or reheated the next day) with a little whipped salted butter.
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