We like to bake here at OPB. I spy cakes, cookies, and breads on the radio newsroom table weekly, at least. Coworkers send "all staff" e-mails when they leave treats in the kitchen. And my boss has a sixth sense about baked goods; he just knows when they'll appear in the break room. (His sense works better when treats involve chocolate.)
Maybe every office has employees who bake well and often, but I feel we're extra blessed at OPB because we have radio reporters on deadline. What else can you do when it's 1 am and you need a break from listening to tape or when you need to de-stress because Commissioner Gordon hasn't returned your 37th phone call? When you have to finish that feature with the audio you only kind of like because the quote you love has too much traffic noise in the background? You bake! You bake for comfort and distraction, and only after you've made two pecan pies, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread, and a lemon-glaze pound cake do you realize that you can't (read: shouldn't) eat everything yourself.
Maybe it's just me who gets all Izzie Stevens under pressure. All reporters don't bake obsessively under deadline. Some reporters handle deadlines with ease. Others develop drinking problems. But I bake. And my reporter friend, April, bakes. She bakes for fun, or because she's pregnant, or because she's one of those people who are good at everything they do. (I'm sure if she lay all of her talents end-to-end like a charm bracelet, that bracelet could reach around an arm the size of the USSR.)
April has shared chocolate hazelnut pies with us, and cookies, but I love her banana bread best. It's sweet, not heavy, and all I can taste in it is banana--rich, fresh banana flavor. There's no vanilla, a pinch of salt, and no vegetable oil to muddy up the banana's subtle and unique taste. And, unlike other banana bread recipes I've known, April's version has a no-fuss prep. She bakes it in a cake pan, wraps it tight in aluminum foil, and then shares the love with her coworkers.
Lucky for me (and you!), April is as generous with recipes as she is with treats. She shared this killer banana bread recipe, which she scored from another friend. A native Kansan might call my feelings for this banana bread "powerful strong." They'd be right, 'cause this bread is real good.
It's gray, cool, and lovely in Portland tonight. Wouldn't you love to cuddle up with a slice of banana bread? Start preheating your oven....
Maybe every office has employees who bake well and often, but I feel we're extra blessed at OPB because we have radio reporters on deadline. What else can you do when it's 1 am and you need a break from listening to tape or when you need to de-stress because Commissioner Gordon hasn't returned your 37th phone call? When you have to finish that feature with the audio you only kind of like because the quote you love has too much traffic noise in the background? You bake! You bake for comfort and distraction, and only after you've made two pecan pies, chocolate chip cookies, shortbread, and a lemon-glaze pound cake do you realize that you can't (read: shouldn't) eat everything yourself.
Maybe it's just me who gets all Izzie Stevens under pressure. All reporters don't bake obsessively under deadline. Some reporters handle deadlines with ease. Others develop drinking problems. But I bake. And my reporter friend, April, bakes. She bakes for fun, or because she's pregnant, or because she's one of those people who are good at everything they do. (I'm sure if she lay all of her talents end-to-end like a charm bracelet, that bracelet could reach around an arm the size of the USSR.)
April has shared chocolate hazelnut pies with us, and cookies, but I love her banana bread best. It's sweet, not heavy, and all I can taste in it is banana--rich, fresh banana flavor. There's no vanilla, a pinch of salt, and no vegetable oil to muddy up the banana's subtle and unique taste. And, unlike other banana bread recipes I've known, April's version has a no-fuss prep. She bakes it in a cake pan, wraps it tight in aluminum foil, and then shares the love with her coworkers.
Lucky for me (and you!), April is as generous with recipes as she is with treats. She shared this killer banana bread recipe, which she scored from another friend. A native Kansan might call my feelings for this banana bread "powerful strong." They'd be right, 'cause this bread is real good.
It's gray, cool, and lovely in Portland tonight. Wouldn't you love to cuddle up with a slice of banana bread? Start preheating your oven....
Ms. Rita's Banana Bread
serves 10(ish)
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup turbinado or raw cane sugar
- 3 very ripe bananas, mashed (the browner the better)
- 2 eggs, beaten well
- 1/2 cup buttermilk*
- 1 tsp. baking soda, mixed in the buttermilk
- 1 tsp. vanilla (optional)
- 2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
- 1 tsp. sea salt
In a small bowl, mix together the buttermilk and baking soda. (*To make your own buttermilk, add a tsp. of vinegar to a 1/2 cup of low fat milk.) Let the soda/milk mixture bubble and foam while you prepare the batter.
Whisk two eggs into the butter/sugar mixture, then whisk in the mashed bananas, vanilla, and buttermilk. Stir in the flour and salt until just mixed, then pour into the prepared pan. Bake for about an hour, until the top of the bread is golden brown. Test the bread for done-ness by inserting a toothpick in its center; if it's clean when you remove it, the bread's done. Mmmmm goodness.
If you liked this recipe, you might also enjoy:
Easy orange rolls
English seed bread
Aloha cookies
