A Banana Bread Taste Test

Betty Crocker recipe on left vegan recipe on right

In this household, banana bread is a favorite of my husband. I'll out myself here and report that we'd been married around twenty years before I learned this about him. I thought he loved zucchini bread so I was often baking him a loaf. 

One day, I had some over ripe bananas and made a loaf of banana bread out of the Betty Crocker cookbook he had when he was in college. (The copyright of the book is 1950.) When he smelled and ate the bread, he gushed and gushed over it. That was when I learned that banana bread was his favorite!

Top: vegan; bottom: Betty Crocker

Ever since at least once a month,  I've baked a loaf of banana bread. . .with nuts! A while ago, our London daughter sent us a link to a vegan banana bread recipe. She often sends vegan links because cow dairy products upset granddaughter Miss J's digestive tract. 

Five bananas were ready to be made into bread which was the perfect number for the two recipes. I decided to make both recipes and see which was the better recipe. Betty's recipe is below:                                                 Mix together thoroughly: 2/3 C sugar, 1/3 C soft shortening, 2 eggs. Stir in: 3 Tablespoons sour milk or buttermilk (I use a non dairy milk), 2 mashed bananas.                     Sift together and stir in: 2C flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Blend in: 1/2 C chopped nuts. Pour into well greased 9x5x3 loaf pan. Let stand 20 minutes before baking. Bake until it tests done. Serve warm or cold. Temperature 350 degrees F. Bake 50 to 60 minutes.

While the vegan recipe was good, Betty's recipe was the hands down winner. After baking and testing the bread, I took a two hour nap. Later in the afternoon, I took a 30 minute nap. The knee continues to disrupt my sleep. Most nights, I'm sleeping a two hour and a three hour shift with a two hour break in-between. That routine isn't enough! Perhaps tonight will be the beginning of longer sleep periods.