How to make banana bread

I was very fortunate to grow up in a large family where boys outnumbered girls 2:1. The house was always incredibly loud and generally very messy and, as a result, we employed a housekeeper called Sophy to help tame the chaos and keep us all in line. Over the years, Sophy developed a collection of well-loved recipes that she would make for us on a regular basis and of which I have the fondest of memories.
Most of birthday cakes were baked by her (I still beg her to make her world-famous chocolate cake for me and insist on licking the bowl once it has been iced) and certainly the majority of my evening meals as a child. My favourites include her bobotie, buttermilk rusks, vegetable lasagne, homemade Romany Creams, cottage pie and minestrone soup. She has, along with my parents who are both accomplished cooks, helped to mould my earliest food memories and is probably part of the reason I enjoy being in the kitchen so much myself.

In tribute to her, but also so that others may share in her considerable gifts, I’ll be posting some of my favourite recipes on Spatula and hope that you enjoy them.

I’ll start with her banana bread: this recipe was passed down to Sophy by my Granny Helen and adapted ever so slightly by me to include nuts. Download print-friendly version.

Ingredients:
125g butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp bicarb
3/4 cup warm milk
2 cups flour (sifted)
3/4 cup mashed banana
200g chopped walnuts
A pinch of salt

Method:
1. Cream the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs and mix.
3. Add the bicarb to warm milk, then pour it into the mixture a little at a time, alternating with spoonfuls of sifted flour.
4. Lastly, add the bananas and chopped walnuts and a pinch of salt (any nuts will do).
5. Pour the mixture into a loaf pan and bake for about an hour at 160°C.

I used to have this sliced and sandwiched with butter, then wrapped up in clingfilm as part of my school lunch. I reckon it still tastes best just like that, but probably even better when it’s still hot and just out the oven!