Banana Bread for the Long Journey
A moist banana bread made with very ripe bananas, fragrant, that keeps and travels well. Slice it in the morning, or whenever hunger strikes between tasks.
A moist banana bread made with very ripe bananas, fragrant, that keeps and travels well. Slice it in the morning, or whenever hunger strikes between tasks.
When you set sail for the islands, believe me, you need to bring something to sustain you: the sea is long and the stomach impatient. I would bake a dense bread with overripe bananas, the kind you wouldn't dare present but which give all their sugar to the bread. Wrapped in a cloth, it kept for days. A slice in the morning, and I was set — for the crossing yesterday, for the laboratory today.
- •Very ripe bananas — three (sugar and moisture)
- •Wheat flour — two cups (structure)
- •Sugar — one cup (sweetness)
- •Butter or lard — a piece (fat)
- •Eggs — two (binder)
- •Baking soda — one spoonful (leavening)
Banana Bread for the Long Journey
A moist banana bread made with very ripe bananas, fragrant, that keeps and travels well. Slice it in the morning, or whenever hunger strikes between tasks.
Why this dish? To reach Hawai‘i from the mainland, Alice crossed the Pacific by ship. A banana bread, dense and sweet, keeps for several days and is filling: the ideal provision for a young woman changing worlds to study chemistry.
When you set sail for the islands, believe me, you need to bring something to sustain you: the sea is long and the stomach impatient. I would bake a dense bread with overripe bananas, the kind you wouldn't dare present but which give all their sugar to the bread. Wrapped in a cloth, it kept for days. A slice in the morning, and I was set — for the crossing yesterday, for the laboratory today.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very ripe bananas — three (sugar and moisture)
- Wheat flour — two cups (structure)
- Sugar — one cup (sweetness)
- Butter or lard — a piece (fat)
- Eggs — two (binder)
- Baking soda — one spoonful (leavening)
Ingredients
- Very ripe bananas, mashed — 3 (≈ 300 g) (sugar and moisture)
- Flour — 240 g (structure)
- Sugar — 150 g (sweetness)
- Melted butter — 80 g (fat)
- Eggs — 2 (binder)
- Baking soda — 1 tsp (leavening)
- Pinch of salt and cinnamon — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Preheat oven to 175 °C and butter a loaf pan.
- Mash bananas with a fork. Mix with melted butter, sugar, and eggs.
- Fold in flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon without overmixing.
- Pour into the pan and bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until a knife comes out clean. Let cool before unmolding and wrapping in a cloth.
How it was made : Bananas, cultivated in Hawai‘i since the Polynesians, were abundant. Banana bread spread in American kitchens in the early 20th century with the availability of baking soda and baking powder, enabling quick cakes without long fermentation. Its density made it good travel provision.
The contemporary twist : Add a handful of macadamia nuts (Hawai‘i's pride) and a drizzle of honey on top before baking, for a golden, crunchy crust.
Alice Ball · Charactorium