Museumand recipe contribution: Banana Bread

Varieties of bananas can be found growing in the gardens of many homes in the Caribbean. Although the fruit is generally picked & eaten straight from the tree when its skin is yellow, over ripe bananas can be used to create Caribbean desserts such as Banana Cake, Banana Bread and Banana Pancakes as well as Ice-cream. As bananas ripen and the peel changes from green to yellow, the starch in the banana converts to sugar giving the ripened banana a much sweeter taste.

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease a medium-sized loaf pan with butter.
• Mix together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Mash bananas and milk together in a separate bowl until smooth
• Set aside.
• Cream together sugar and butter in another bowl until smooth. Beat in eggs and vanilla until combined.
• Alternate pouring the flour mixture & banana mixture into the large mixing bowl. Start with some of the flour mixture, then add some of the banana mixture and combine together. Continue in this vein until all the flour is well mixed in.
• Pour mixture into loaf tin making sure it is evenly spread.
• Bake for 55 minutes.
• Let bread cool for at least 5-10 minutes before taking it out the tin & placing it on a cooling rack.
• Let bread fully cool before wrapping up or putting it into a cake tin to keep fresh. 
• Banana bread tastes best the second day.

Recipe provided by museumand as part of their ongoing research into Caribbean cooking and traditions.