Banana Bread

I often bake in the afternoons, in that lull that comes sometime after lunch and before I have to set out for the walk to school at three-pm. Sometimes I have a mini assistant, sometimes she is way too busy to stop and help :: Polly Pockets and Sylvanian Families are very high maintenance you understand. On this particular afternoon it was decided she would help, and I do like these times very much.

So yup, I'd noticed a couple of very forlorn bananas in the bottom of the fruit bowl looking rather more brown than yellow, and it reminded of me this recipe that I used to make years ago from an old Hamlyn vegetarian cook book which was given to me when I was about 16. So you know what, I've been carting this book around with me for roughly 23 years and through fifteen or so house moves. Its very dated now of course, some of the recipes look absolutely vile in full Hamlyn 1980's colour, but at least there's nothing in aspic, bleughhh. The Baking section is especially good though, I don't think baking recipes age as much as the other unsavoury looking concoctions.

So here is the recipe for Banana Loaf a la Hamlyn

• 100g soft margerine
• 175g light muscavado sugar
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 eggs
• 225g self raising flour
• 1tsp baking powder
• 50g chopped walnuts (optional, I left them out)
• 2 Tbsp milk

Oven Temp 180C / 350F / gas 4

• Cream the margerine with the sugar until soft and light.
• Mash the bananas and mix in well (Little Lady loved doing this)
• Break the eggs into the mixture and beat well.
• Gently fold in the flour and baking powder.
• Stir in the walnuts (if using) and the milk
• Turn into a lined 1kg/2lb loaf tin and bake for 1hr, until well risen and golden.
• Turn out and cool on a  wire rack, serve sliced, spread with butter.

I cut some slices when the loaf was still slightly warm and buttered them ready for the after school "I'm STARRRRrrrrrrving" fest. The Little People and the neighbours children devoured this like you would not believe, it was truly uplifting to hear the appreciative Mmmmmmmmm's. It was over in seconds, chomp chomp, mmmm, and gone. Demands for more, but I held firm and produced a plate of fruit instead, which was also consumed at great speed. It was like playing host to a small, amiable plague of locust-children.

Talking of baking, take a look at my new apron, isn't it pretty?

And I even treated myself to some new oven gloves....

 

....and a pack of three tea towels, they were all from BHS and at reduced price. I like them a lot.

And see my kitchen shelf there? See how remarkably straight it looks after I mentioned it's wonkiness last month? Well I'll be damned, at the same time as my maaaaaaavelous dishwasher materialsed, Wonderful Father-in-law worked his magic with wood and scary tools and made a new bracket to hold the shelf back up.  No more slip-sliding of towels and tins onto the floor and no more bad language. Well not in relation to tea towels anyway. 

Comments

[Maddy]

The banana bread looks wonderful, don't you love fresh baked anything?

I really like the apron, very sweet.

[carole rennison]

love the apron - very desirable - and banana cake - one of my favourites!! have a fab weekend! x carole

[Alice C]

If I had an apron as pretty as that I would wear it the WHOLE time. I would probably even wear it when I went shopping...

[Funkymonkey]

Love the apron and tea towels. (can you love tea towels? I must be really sad).

[Louise]

The banana bread and fresh fruit looks absolutely delicious, no wonder the kids went mad for it! Your place must be the most popular in the neighbourhood. Very pretty kitchen linens from BHS adorning your now very straight shelf! x