I Take My Waking Slow

There is something beautifully simple and satisfying about waking up to the smell of banana bread fresh out of the oven. Lately life has been a bit stressful for me, so it was a wonderful surprise to wake up from a good night's rest to find a clean kitchen and banana bread, courtesy of my roommate. Now, I love my roommates, but sometimes they can be a bit absent-minded when it comes to cleaning and such, so I end up doing it. But maybe this is a sign; maybe they're finally learning.

The bread is great, by the way, so here's the recipe for any that care to try their hands at baking:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 medium bananas (the best ones are those full of black spots or almost completely black)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups flour
1 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly butter or spray the bottem and sides of a 9 inch loaf pan.

Place the butter and sugar in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed for 1 minute, or until the sugar is completely mixed into the butter. Add the eggs and mix for 1 minute, or until the batter is smooth. Add the (mashed) bananas and mix for 1 minute, or until no large chunks remain. The batter will be lumpy, but the pieces of banana should all be 1/2 inch or smaller.

Add the baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until combined. Add the flour and mix, scraping the bowl occasionally, until all the flour is incorporated. Don't work the batter too much, or else the bread will be too dense.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 F and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf come out clean.

Remove from oven, wait until cool (or mostly cool if you're impatient like me), and eat!


Now, we all know bananas are tasty things good for eating (unless, of course, you don't like them), but they are also used for other things. In times as early as the 13th century banana fibers were being used in Japan to make clothing and that continues on into modern times all over; the fibers are also used in some areas to make paper. Seeing as how bananas are grown in over 100 different countries, they are also essential to trade. Plus, they're good for you. So eat up and savor every bite.