There are only a few things that I insist on making with a wooden spoon when it comes to baking.
Julia Child’s French Bread Recipe is at the top of that list, as are muffins, molasses cookies and brownies. But this morning as I sat down to do a bit of recipe testing with the overripe bananas in our kitchen fruit bowl, I realized that there was another baked good that I preferred to mix with one of my favorite thick-handled wooden spoons from France. I didn’t get them in France, but rather the cooking shop where I had my first job in Charlottesville. I only know they’re from France because they have the word “FRANCE” imprinted on the handle. I’m not that fancy.
It’s banana bread. Why? Because the butter is melted and does not need to be creamed with the sugar. If you’re using oil or melted butter, then I suggest using your own favorite wooden spoon. Typically, baked goods that call for a liquid fat need as little mixing as possible. There is no creaming or aeration necessary, in fact, the end result actually benefits from a lack of overmixing. This is the type of recipe that I would deem perfect for a lazy baker.
Of course, I haven’t made banana bread in awhile, so my first thought was to scroll through my favorite copy of the Joy, however I then decided that I was curious to see what the internet had to offer. I searched for “best banana bread” and three very promising recipes popped up. I decided to go with The Baker Chick’s recipe for the Best Banana Bread {Ever}, by far, as she writes, the most popular recipe on her blog.
I knew it would work immediately, but I wanted to switch things up. I’m also recovering from my a) hospital experience and b) the stomach bug which I contracted on Sunday eve. How lovely! So in other words, I decided not to look at her process whatsoever and instead focus on just mimicking ingredients and using the process that I would want to use if I were making this recipe up myself.
Through my choices, I realized that I was developing a recipe that was entirely different. I decided to cook the sugars together with the butter and to add the mashed banana to this mixture, therefore creating a decadent caramelized banana flavor that would carry through to the finished product.
I made sure to double the salt to help cut the sweetness of the sugar + banana and I did not skimp on the sour cream. (I noticed that at the end of her recipe she notes that the sour cream should be heaping in the measure, and that’s exactly what I did–so it told me we are both on the same wavelength as bakers!)
I also added raw walnuts and coarse sea salt to the top of the loaf before baking so that the walnuts would toast as the loaf baked and also because I knew I wanted the flavor profile of toasted walnuts (one of my favorites) but I wanted the freedom to add them to each bite instead of having to dodge them if they were incorporated into the batter. The crunchy salt on top is just a bonus and adds a nice balance, again, to the sugar-rich loaf.
I loved the end result!
Here’s her recipe and here’s mine.
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