This banana bread recipe has been in my family for at least 5 generations now. It comes from my Great Grandma Fobes, and it is the BEST banana bread recipe ever! I have vivid memories of my grandma making this for me when I was little, and I know my mom has made it about a million times in my life! I have made it so many times with my daughter that at 3 years old, she could almost recite the recipe from her memory.
I wanted to share this with you all because, as Ellen said in her Family Recipe Vault: Soup Recipes, good food is meant to be shared. I also love reading recipes from friends. I do think of silly memories from when they made that dish for me. Making food for people is definitely my love language.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45-55 minutes (or 20-25 minutes for muffins)
Servings
- 2-3 Ripe Bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Sour Milk Add 1 TBSP white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and let sit for 10-15 minutes
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45-55 minutes (or 20-25 minutes for muffins)
Servings
- 2-3 Ripe Bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1/2 cup Sour Milk Add 1 TBSP white vinegar to 1/2 cup milk and let sit for 10-15 minutes
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 cups flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Vanilla
Doubling the recipe does not fit well in a standard kitchen aid. I've done it several times because I forget and then regret it every time! 🙂
Every woman has her own touch.
While this recipe is golden as is, there have been some variations with each woman who receives the recipe. I don’t know if Great-Grandma Fobes made any changes, but since then, each generation has changed it.
Grandma Buehler
My grandma would make a delicious and simple glaze. I have no idea what went into it, but I would imagine it was a simple powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk recipe (1 cup powdered sugar, 2-3 tsp. milk, 1 tsp. vanilla). She would drizzle it over the bread. There would always be left over glaze. She would put it on graham crackers and let all of the grandkids have a treat! I honestly remember the graham crackers more than eating the actual banana bread!
My Mom
My mom probably would make the glaze every now, and then her special touch to the banana bread was to make them in muffin form and put chocolate chips in the batter before it baked. Every time a friend came over and ate them, they gushed because they had never had chocolate chips in banana bread.
Me
I still prefer the muffins (so much easier to grab and go). The way I’ve updated the recipe is to add oatmeal to it to make it a little heartier. I take out about a 1/2 cup of the flour and sub in 1/2 cup of rolled oats. My Mom and Grandma know better than me how to make it decadent! I’m sure my Grandma would have a lot to say about my oats, and most of it would be confused why I would ever do something so ridiculous (haha). My family loves it, so this is how I’ll continue to make it.
Maybe one day, I’ll add in oats, chocolate, and glaze.
Vella
Right now, Vella is my baking sidekick.
I cannot wait to taste her banana bread muffins and see what she does with the recipe.
