Banana Bread
I don’t remember the first time I had banana bread. But I do know that each time I have it, it reminds me of my mom (Hey, Ma!). My mom made banana bread often when we were growing up and it always creates that same wonderful smell as it bakes (at 350 for 50 min) in the oven.
Banana bread reminds me of one of my least favorite lessons – patience is a virtue. For someone thats quick like myself (thank you ADHD) this isn’t exactly natural for me. But what does banana bread have to do with patience anyways? Well, for starters, you literally need to be patient and let the bananas go ripe – like black ripe – which takes days. Days are long and banana bread is so delicious that it can be tempting to rush and bake it a day or two too soon, but don’t give in!
I thought about this all week last week, when I was wrapping up my quarantine. I had a grocery delivery dropped at my door, and in it was my only fresh produce – three bananas included. I thought I’d use them up and have throughout the week as healthy snacks, but then I found myself craving my moms banana bread.
Food nostalgia is something I experience often and am really fascinated with. So much so, that I keep a note on my phone that I started during covid called “food nostalgia”. I’ll get a random craving for something extremely specific (Nana pasta or jelly donuts from Dunkin) and I write it down (especially if I cant fulfill the craving at that time) for fun. I don’t know if food nostalgia is even a thing, but I’ve decided to make it one in my life. The part that’s relevant here is that I love to consider the memories and feelings we pair with foods. I didn’t buy those bananas intending to let them go ripe for banana bread. Was it just a coincidence that I later decided that was what they’d be for or was it that I was wrapping up quarantine and looking for a familiar comfort food?
Promising to not only be delicious and fulfill my craving but also allow me to feel those feelings of comfort and familiarity, I set out to track down the recipe, which I knew my mom had on hand. She was nice enough to rewrite it out for me, which I’ve included below. My brother B is really the baker in the family, and when he heard that I was making moms banana bread (I texted my brothers and parents when preparing to bake) he sent me a picture of the original recipe that this is from (with handwritten notes all over it, a staple MB signature – including one from my aunt Judy, who likely mailed this recipe to my mom) which I also included below.
Back to patience. You not only have to be patient as you let the bananas go but you also have to be patient while it bakes. 50 minutes is a long time. But in those 50 minutes, thanks to nostalgia, I had the opportunity to reminisce with my siblings and my parents about this banana bread – which is how I discovered B still had the original recipe. It’s amazing how quickly everyone has something to say when you bring up family recipes – my brother Jeff chimed in immediately letting us know he hasn’t had banana bread in at least ten years and was now jealous before Brady sent back the recipe which he took the time to go through his drawers and look for – all while it baked in my oven.
As my mom says on the recipe note – baking for no longer than 50 minutes is typically the move here. But, again, patience! I was just about to turn the oven off, when I realized I should probably check the inside with a toothpick first, a move I would typically do, but the 50 minutes was tried and trusted for many moons now. Go figure, it wasn’t done baking when I poked the center. Back in the oven. More time to consider banana bread and all that it brings up.
Eventually, the bread was fully baked and in fact, a bit burnt on top, just how I like it but definitely not the goal. My mom supporting me from a distance reminding me “don’t worry, I’m sure your oven is just hotter than ours” as I again – wait – for the banana bread, this time to cool down. But as I mentioned there is a lesson here and I think the best way to truly grasp or learn a lesson is to fail a few times. That’s when I thought the cake was cool enough to flip out of the pan. So I did just that. In the process I lost a good chunk of the bottom due to it sticking to the pan – again definitely not the goal here. Maybe I didn’t wait long enough? Maybe that’s not the point.
I’m not even sure if the lesson is on patience or if it’s simply a reminder of appreciation. Appreciation of the things we know, the things that bring us joy and comfort, the things we love. It’s no surprise the word family and familiar are so close. Familiar things (like a family recipe) and interacting with family (whether in person or from afar) can be two great sources of comfort. And lastly, it seems obvious when you start noticing. Food truly is and can be comforting in different ways for different folks. For me, THE banana bread will always be just that. Comforting.
Thanks for the recipe, Ma. Love you more.
P.S. getting to walk a couple of slices to my parents post quarantine – that was the real treat here.