Carla's Banana Bread

Since I posted my tribute to the late, great Carla Tomasi, I’ve received quite a few requests for her “boom!”-worthy banana bread, mentioned here. In true generous Tomasi spirit, I am happy to share it on P&B. The idea that readers of the blog who did not know Carla might bake, fall in love with, and add this recipe to their own repertoire, and then pass it on to others who might follow suit, and so on and so forth – is pretty neat. I’ve said it once and I’ve said it again: Carla will live on in her recipes.

So! Banana bread.  

The banana bread that I had known growing up in the U.S was fairly straightforward and one-dimensional, on the sweeter side, and excellent alongside a cup of coffee. Like it though I did, it was often a quick bread that I turned to out of necessity, when I had bananas that needed using up. You know the ones I’m talking about: that bunch of bananas you bought weeks ago, promising yourself you’d bring them to work to fight off the little-bit-of-hungry that strikes at 11am? And yet somehow, you end up leaving the bananas at home, foregoing them completely for a snack from the office vending machine? Thus leaving the bunch of bananas to languish past their prime in the bowl on your kitchen counter, until they turn brown, beyond eating? But then: banana bread is born, the silver lining of your failed good intentions.

The recipe for Carla’s Banana Bread, however, led me to do the exact opposite. I would buy bananas for this recipe, choosing the ripest ones from the supermarket and then purposefully setting them aside, marked with a post-it: Do not eat! Meant for Carla’s banana bread! Then the waiting period began, until the bananas had had turned perfectly, terribly brown. It’s a lot of advance planning for a quick bread, I know, but: this is not your typical banana bread. It’s a banana bread with heft, with substance, with depth. It’s a hearty everything-but-the-kitchen-sink type deal, a wholesome kind of loaf. We’ve got oats and coconuts for texture, walnuts for crunch, and raisins for sweetness. There’s cinnamon and allspice, which add depth of flavor and warmth. There’s a good amount of dark chocolate, to round things out and ensure that the whole thing isn’t too virtuous. The loaf rises mightily in the oven (“quite a handsome loaf,” Carla remarks in her written recipe) and in typical Tomasi style, is practical, no-frills, no-fuss. It’s an incredibly accommodating and agreebale Banana Bread, too (see my notes below). The dry ingredients in the recipe can be made into a mix and kept on hand for whenever a banana bread craving strikes. The recipe makes more than one loaf (more bang for your buck) and freezes beautifully. And best of all: it’s delicious and fool-proof, like all Carla recipes. A slice is stellar with for breakfast or as an afternoon snack or just whenever really (heads up: you’ll find yourself going back for sliver after sliver in the kitchen). I love it and I know you will too.

I’ve included Carla’s recipe/ingredients just as she wrote them and gave them to me via email. You can see her words in italics. Anything not in italics are my own comments, and more notably, quantities. Carla never understood the reasoning behind U.S measurement system of cups, tablespoons, and teaspoons, preferring – like most of the world – grams, measured on a cooking scale. She would however often come across a recipe with quantities written the USA way, and send it to me for “translation.” This recipe is somewhat reflective of that, as I’ve provided quantities in my (preferred!) system, just like Carla and I used to do.

A couple of notes: Overripe bananas are best for banana bread; they have a stronger banana flavor, are sweeter, and are softer and easier to mash. Having said this, there are some tricks to move along bananas who are not past their prime. I’ve never tried them myself, but have heard good things.

This is a super flexible recipe. If you don’t have allspice (it’s hard to find in Italy) you can substitute more cinnamon. I have also used butter in place of the vegetable oil in a pinch, and maple syrup or honey in place of the golden syrup. I usually use brown sugar in place of the demerara sugar. If you opt for coconut over almonds (third ingredient in the Dry Ingredients list below) — I have used the dry, unsweetened coconut flakes found in Italian supermarkets with good results. I suppose you could also use sweetened coconut flakes, if you can find them where you are — expect a slightly sweeter bread with a slightly different texture. I find this recipe makes for one standard loaf and one smaller loaf: I baked this bread in a 9x13 in loaf pan, plus a smaller loaf.

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CARLA’S BANANA BREAD

Recipe from Carla Tomasi. In italics you’ll find her recipe as written with her note; my additions are the ones not in italics!
Makes 2 loaves. Quick and easy and a two bowl affair. Oven temp 170c approx. 50 mins maybe more. Line a standard loaf tin.

Dry ingredients:
250 grams plain flour (2 cups all-purpose flour) sieved with 1 teaspoon baking soda
A generous pinch of salt (I use a heaping 1/4 teaspoon)
60 grams dry coconut or ground almonds
1 teaspoon each of cinnamon and allspice
80 grams roughly chopped walnuts
Handful of rolled oats
80 grams (3 ounces) raisins, currants, or cranberries
150 grams (5 ounces) chopped dark chocolate — I use 70% — NOT choc chips please

Wet ingredients:
100 ml (about 1/2 cup) vegetable oil
80 grams (about 6 tablespoons) demerara sugar
3 medium-sized whole eggs
2 tablespoons golden syrup
3 medium-sized overly ripe bananas, mashed

Directions:
Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Set aside. I like this cake a lot so I always have a couple of bags of the dry ingredients mix in the store room so the cake can be made in a jiffy!

Beat the oil and sugar till merged and then add the eggs- one by one- at a high speed. I do it in the food processor and think of it as a sweet mayo. Add the golden syrup, the bananas, and whizz briefly.

Pour into a mixing bowl and add the content of the dry bowl. Stir well and pop into the lined loaf tin. The banana bread will rise above the rim, will get a nice middle ridge and look quite handsome.

It freezes well but also keeps well in a cake tin or in the fridge.