Pink Grandma’s Banana Bread

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When I was little, I found my own way to distinguish between my grandparents. Both sets couldn’t just be “grandma” and “grandpa.” Luckily, each grandma had her own distinct sense of style. My dad’s mom wore purple all the time, so she became “Purple Grandma.” My mom’s mom wore a pastel shade of pink fairly often, so she was “Pink Grandma.”

Pink Grandma holding me as an infant—I was sick with a cold and ear infection
Pink Grandma holding me as an infant—I was sick with a cold and ear infection

One day, before heading off to college, I was compiling recipes in a notebook my best friend had given me. She wanted to make sure I wouldn’t be completely lost in the kitchen once I got there. One of the first things I wanted to include in my notebook was Pink Grandma’s Banana Bread. This is the epitome of comfort food—full of sweetness and moist with oils. The added bonus is that it’s a close relative of cake, but you can eat it for breakfast!

My grandma’s recipe card, side one
My grandma’s recipe card, side one
My grandma’s recipe card, side two
My grandma’s recipe card, side two
My Recipe Card
My copy of the recipe in my notebook. Pro tip: spiral binding lays flat and takes up less space when folded all the way over.

Upon going vegan, I was warned of trying to substitute more than one egg in any traditional to plant-based recipe conversion. So, I searched the Internet high and low for a vegan banana bread that would be comparable to my grandma’s. Some got close, but nothing compared to that excessive use of vegetable shortening and sugar. I returned to the “old faithful” recipe from my grandma, using two different egg alternatives that I hoped would balance each other out. The flax egg gives a nice nutty flavor to accent the walnuts, and the applesauce egg is great for vegan baked goods in general.

Banana bread is a fantastic way to use up overripe bananas, and you don’t have to worry about doing it quickly. Where bananas are concerned, it’s the riper, the better. I had intended to make this bread on a Sunday and ended up waiting until Tuesday to do it, which probably made it a better sweet bread. If you prefer to consume your bananas with fewer added calories and carbohydrates (i.e., not in bread form), but have overripe bananas on hand, I recommend peeling them, cutting them in half or thirds, and placing them in a bag to freeze. This works best if you can lay the bag flat so the bananas are in a single layer—this way, they won’t get frozen together in one big clump.

One more note on bananas—I work in a cooperative grocery store that only carries organic, fair trade bananas for a reason. To learn more about why we do that, I encourage you to watch this interactive documentary, Beyond the Seal, made by Equal Exchange Co-op. This video will give you a glimpse into the lives of people in Ecuador working in the banana industry, as well as the positive impact fair trade practices have on their lives. It also contains information about the harm conventional bananas have done to people who worked for years in the banana fields. Another fun fact: Equal Exchange has also declared March to be Banana Month (as if we needed more reasons to eat them)! Final fun fact: bananas are the number one selling produce item by volume in the United States.

On this occasion, I made Pink Grandma’s Banana Bread for our new neighbor and old friend, Kyle Maloney. Even if you don’t know a new neighbor personally, bringing freshly baked goods is a fantastic welcome gesture, and a tradition that, sadly, seems to be fading away. If you’re baking in a foil loaf pan, you can bring the bread over as is. I used my metal loaf pan, so I flipped the bread out of the pan to cool a little before wrapping it in tin foil for the delivery. If you prefer, you can make banana bread muffins instead (use liners if you’re making them for someone else).

Without further ado, here is the recipe!

Preheat your ovens to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Three very ripe bananas
Three very ripe bananas
Bananas plus sugar and cold water
Bananas plus sugar and cold water
Bananas, sugar, and water mashed together with a fork, let it sit while you gather the other ingredients
Bananas, sugar, and water mashed together with a fork, let it sit while you gather the other ingredients
Assembly of all ingredients: dry ingredients (mixed), macerated bananas, flax egg, applesauce egg, liquefied vegetable shortening, walnuts, and dark chocolate chips
Assembly of all ingredients: dry ingredients (mixed), macerated bananas, flax egg, applesauce egg, liquefied vegetable shortening, walnuts, and dark chocolate chips
All wet ingredients together
All wet ingredients together
Wet ingredients, thoroughly mixed
Wet ingredients, thoroughly mixed
Add dry to wet
Add dry to wet
Stir until just mixed
Stir until just mixed
Just-mixed dough
Just-mixed dough
Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts
Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts
All mixed up
All mixed up
Option one: make sure your pan is greased well—I rub vegetable shortening on mine with my fingers
Option one: make sure your pan is greased well—I rub vegetable shortening on mine with my fingers
Option one: loaf of banana bread, ready to be baked
Option one: loaf of banana bread, ready to be baked
Option two: muffins!
Option two: muffins!
Extra chocolate for good measure
Extra chocolate for good measure
Finished loaf of banana bread!
Finished loaf of banana bread!
All wrapped up for the new neighbor
All wrapped up for the new neighbor
Mmmmmm, nice golden brown banana bread muffins
Mmmmmm, nice golden brown banana bread muffins
Kate Glenn

Contributor

Kate Glenn grew up in Fairport, New York and works as an Assistant Manager for the produce department at Honest Weight Food Co-Op in Albany, NY. A creative and dedicated vegan home cook, Kate also enjoys yoga, running, and interval training.

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