Mother’s Day is around the corner, and if you’re scrambling for a gift, a sweet treat that is easy to ship home is the perfect way to show Mom you care. Breads are a great choice because their density and shape makes them unlikely to shake or crumble apart in the mail. If you wrap a loaf in plastic wrap and then foil before you pack it up, it will arrive just as moist and delicious as when you removed it from the oven!
Try making banana bread. Most of the ingredients that you need are probably already in your pantry, and you’ll be giving Mom a flavorful snack, dessert or breakfast treat. After preheating your oven to 350 degrees, cream two sticks of butter and one and a half cups sugar in a medium bowl. In a separate, larger bowl, mash four bananas. Your bananas should be very ripe – the closer to black, the better!
Add two eggs, a teaspoon vanilla and four tablespoons buttermilk to the mashed bananas and mix well. Then add the banana mix to your butter and sugar. Add two cups flour, one and a half teaspoons of baking soda and a teaspoon of salt, and stir well.
You’ll need two loaf pans that are nine inches by five inches. If you have these on hand, great, but if not, World Market sells inexpensive pans, or you can pick up a foil version at the back of Whole Foods. Grease the pans and pour your batter into them. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the top of the bread pulls away from the sides of the pan.
The best part of this recipe? It makes two loaves. Send both home or keep one for yourself! Either way, if you’re looking for variety, easy toppings can make this wonderful banana bread even more special.
For a simple, crunchy cinnamon topping, mix two tablespoons sugar with a teaspoon cinnamon and two and a half tablespoons brown sugar. Add some chopped pecans or walnuts if you’d like. Sprinkle the mixture over the batter right after you pour it into the pan. If you’re looking for something sweeter, melt six tablespoons of butter in a saucepan and add 10 tablespoons brown sugar and three tablespoons milk. Cook it until it resembles honey and remove from heat. Then add a cup of chopped pecans to the mixture. You can spoon this over the bread after it’s cooled.
So this weekend, send your mom a care package of her own. She’ll feel the love, even from afar, and be impressed with your newfound baking skills!
