I open the freezer door to greet the four freckled bananas while I’m going to Graceland, Graceland plays–the start to my Sunday soundtrack. If the bananas could sing as the light fills the freezer, they would coo in unison and join Paul Simon right at there's a girl in New York City who calls herself a human trampoline. I place the bananas in a glass bowl and the thawing begins as Paul keeps serenading them.
An hour or so later, I squeeze the smooth texture into the bowl. Gob after gob. The melted butter swirls in along with the spices, the vanilla, the dry additions–all with a twirl of my whisk.
It’s a practice of patience when waiting for banana bread to cool completely. The minute it's on the rack, I want to break through that top brown crust with the bread knife and let the blade sink into the soft moist bread to the wooden board. But the wait is so worth it, especially with the supporting cast of cranberries and walnuts. That first bite is moist and sweet with a tart cranberry kick and a nutty crunch. My two rules of banana bread: Don’t overmix and make sure the bananas are really ripe with lots of freckles for the best flavor.
BANANA CRANBERRY BREAD from Joy The Baker
INGREDIENTS
3 to 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg and vanilla, then the spices. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Don’t over mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4×8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to one hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.