Banana Bread from the VintageVictory Kitchen

Thanks for checking out our Banana Bread videos from the Vintage Victory Kitchen.  As promised, here is the detail:

What We Did:

To make a 1kg loaf.

Preheat oven to 180C/Gas 4.

Ingredients:

120g caster sugar.

½ level tsp salt.

360g self-raising flour.

1 large egg.

125ml full fat milk.

50g butter, melted.

3 large (or 4 smaller) ripe bananas, peeled and chopped into approx 1cm chunks.

Method:

1. Grease a 1kg loaf tin with a little oil.
2. Place the dry ingredients – sugar, salt and self-raising flour – into a bowl and make a well
3. Next add the wet ingredients - the egg, milk and melted butter – and mix well.
4. Add the bananas and fold in. 
5. Pour the mixture into the loaf tin and place in the oven, on the middle shelf.
6. Cooking time is approx 1 hour, but check after about 40 minutes or so to see progress.  When cooked, remove from the oven and check the loaf with a skewer – if the skewer comes out clean, the bread is ready, if not, return the loaf to the oven for 10 minutes and check again.
7. Allow it to cool a little before turning the banana loaf onto a cooling rack.  Serve warm or cold, with accompaniments if desired.  Enjoy!!

A Little Bit of History:

Where the first banana bread recipe originated is not clear, but popular belief is that it was made in the 18^th century by housewives experimenting with pearl ash, a precursor to baking powder. 

In more recent times, banana bread became popular in the United States in the 1930s, with the popularity of the then new baking soda and baking powder.  It appears in Pillsbury’s 1933 Balanced Recipes cookbook.

Bananas were rationed in England during the war. On New Year’s Day 1946 as a morale booster, these pieces of “gold” were re-introduced for a time by the Ministry of Food, after having been banned for five years.  In time, bananas were one of the longest rationed foods, finally coming off ration in December 1952, after a period of 12 years!

The simplicity of this recipe made it a firm favourite in the home baking revival of the 1960s. Popular variations include banana nut loaf with chopped nuts, often walnuts of pecans, and chocolate chip banana bread, with the addition of chocolate chips.

We hope you enjoy your banana bread.  Let us know how it goes!

Cheers and happy eating, K&G!