anthimeria

My sister has a peculiar habit of hoarding produce – bunches of grapes here, a basketful of avocados there, whole vines of tomatoes ripening on the counter. And without fail, she’ll then leave the city for a swath of time, leaving me and the produce to languish and stare at one-another. A girl can only eat so many avocados.

Which is how I found myself this afternoon with seven spotted bananas on our dining room table. I’m not, unlike my sister, much for eating bananas out of hand – except sliced and smeared with almond butter on occasion – so they had  been suntanning happily since E left last Monday.

The only sensible thing to do? Make banana bread, of course. Banana bread demands fruit that’s just about to turn – spotted, brown, yielding to the touch – which transforms into something sweet-scented in the oven, familiar like childhood.

This bread comes together in a snap – just six ingredients turned into a bowl and then again into a loaf pan. It’s happily eaten warm, straight from the oven, or wrapped up in slices to tuck away in the freezer and take with tea or throw into a weekday lunch.

The Simplest Banana Bread

I’m a purist, but I imagine this loaf would be delicious with a sprinkling of chocolate chips in the batter, or some chopped walnuts mixed in, or thinly-sliced dried apricots nestled throughout.

Ingredients
3 very-ripe spotted bananas, mashed
2 large eggs
1.5c unbleached all-purpose flour
1c brown sugar, as free of clumps as possible
1tsp baking soda
sprinkling of cinnamon, to your taste (I use 1/2 a teaspoon, or so)

Equipment
1 standard-size loaf pan
parchment paper
mixing bowl
spatula

Method
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a loaf pan or line with parchment paper, and set aside.

In a bowl, mash bananas roughly with a fork. Add the eggs and stir to combine. Dump in the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and cinnamon, stirring just to combine. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake for approximately 45-50 minutes.

The loaf is ready when its top is cracked and golden, and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Your house will smell like sugar-scented heaven. Makes one standard-size loaf.