BanAnna Bread

July 23, 2021

Eating healthy can seem like a daunting task. Most of us want to do it, but we don’t really want to eat the things deemed healthy. It can be difficult to make sure we always get the correct portion of fruits and vegetables and ensure the proper ratios of carbs and dairy… and let’s not forget about the sweets. It is typically because of that sweet tooth that healthy habits fail. Don’t worry, there is a sweet treat that satisfies the sugary cravings while still meeting that fruit quota. And it’s easy to make!
Healthier changes can easily be incorporated into a daily lifestyle. I started with fruit. I was not too thrilled about saying no to PopTarts so often, but I did what needed to be done: I bought bananas. This is one of the few fruits I will eat and enjoy. I can handle some fruits depending on their preparation, but mostly I cannot stand the texture of fruits. Bananas seem to have a controversial texture with people hating them because they are too stringy, but I surprisingly have no issue here. Bananas seemed like the best way to slowly introduce healthier eating to my life.

I try to eat one everyday but have recently been slacking. However, I got a sudden rush of motivation to be incredibly healthy the other day and took off toward the kitchen. I reached for the bunch of bananas hanging on the fruit holder, grabbed the one I wanted, and tried to break it from the bunch. Unfortunately, the one I grabbed was a tad overripe and I may have slightly squished it. In this depressing turn of events, not only did the banana I want not rip away from the bunch, all the other bananas were bumped around and ripped.

I was now staring at four bananas all detached from their tops, slowly peeling themselves as they fell. After getting myself together, I did what any reasonable adult in this situation would have done: called my mom. After following her advice of putting them in a plastic bag and into the fridge, I ate my one semi-overripe banana in sadness. Then a lightbulb went off. I had heard once that old(ish) bananas are perfect for banana bread. So I decided to make some.

After quick research, the gathering of ingredients, and an internal monologue for motivation, I began this baking endeavor. Keep in mind, the closest I have ever come to baking something is pressing play on The Great British Baking Show, so my mind was expecting disaster. The task itself was thankfully a breeze. I mixed and added and stirred everything until it surprisingly, and very fortunately, looked just like the picture before putting it in the oven and waiting. 

The waiting was by far the worst part. I distracted myself for nearly 50 minutes before the oven beeped. To my utmost shock, I took out the most beautiful bread loaf I had ever seen in my life. It was perfect. Could it taste like sand? The chances were still high. Once it had cooled enough to eat, my family and I all had a piece. I am astounded to report that the entire thing was eaten in less than 36 hours. It was absolutely delicious. Since I had such success in this spontaneous banana-saving adventure, I have decided to share the recipe so that everyone else can have a backup banana plan.

Ingredients

3 bananas (mashed)

⅓ cup melted butter

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 *small* pinch of salt

½ cup sugar

1 egg (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ½ cups flour

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and butter bread tin/pan.
2. Mash bananas with fork, stir in melted butter.
3. Add baking soda, salt, sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract and mix. Stir in flour.
4. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50 minutes
5. Use toothpick to make sure batter is cooked in middle

 

Do you see that? Basically five steps! Contrary to popular baking belief, I was not exact in any of these measurements. Just add more of whatever you think your batter needs. The amounts of sugar and bananas (and whether or not to add nuts or chocolate chips) are definitely up for interpretation. This recipe was easy to make, turned out perfect, and tasted amazing. If I can do it without any planning or experience, then I fully believe that anyone else can too. I hope this banana bread brings you a fun activity, a use for your borderline rotting fruit, and a tasty treat.

---