Going crazy over banana bread recipes

Bananas and were eaten in Southeast Asia, most likely around the Malaysian region. People probably started using them around 2,000 B.C. However, wheat and other grains wasn't common in that region and bread was not one of the usual meals therefore; first banana bread recipe didn't come from there.

The ancient Greeks were probably the ones who wrote the first banana bread recipe. Although the yellow fruit was not native in Mediterranean, they have been many references to the bananas. One most notable example is in the book Historia Plantarum, which means as The History of Plants', by a Theophrastus, a Greek naturalist philosopher. The Greeks already had a reputation for mixing bread with honey and other fruits. Why not bananas?

Todays banana bread recipe was developed in the 1930's. It grew popular with the introduction of baking powder and quick bread. Baking powder replaced yeast as a leavening agent because quick bread rises much faster compared to bread that is baked using yeast, which can take hours.

Banana bread gained even more popularity in the 1960's when home cooking was fast becoming the fad. Aside from that, several different variations of banana bread recipe were also invented. Bakeries added nuts, chocolate chips and other fruits into the plain banana bread to produce more variety in their menu. There's also a vegan version, where the eggs are replaced with soy. Now, an article about food should have delicious banana bread recipe included so here we go.

To make scrumptious snack, you'll need: - one (1) cup white flour, - half (1/2) cup wheat flour, - one and a half (1 1) tsp. baking powder, - quarter (1/4) tsp. baking soda, - quarter (1/4) tsp. cinnamon, - one-eighth (1/8) tsp. salt, - one (1) egg, - one (1) cup mashed banana (3 medium), - two-thirds (2/3) cup sugar, - quarter (1/4) cup canola oil, - one (1) tsp. lemon zest (optional), - half (1/2) cup chopped pecans (optional)

First, grease the loaf pan and set aside. In a big bowl, mix the flours, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and make a well in the center. Combine the eggs, bananas, sugar, oil and lemon zest in a separate bowl. Mix the two together and stir till the mixture is moist. Add nuts if you want. Spoon batter into the pan and bake at 350 for around 50 minutes.

To check if it's done, poke it with a knife and if it comes out clean, it's done. Now just sprinkle brown sugar on top and your banana bread recipe is finished.

Clement is the writer of Banana bread recipes. You can find more delicious recipes at banana-bread-recipe.com.