From the AJC archives: An easy, delicious banana bread recipe

Long before the internet, recipes were passed down through generations to preserve traditions within families. Some made it to the newspaper, and readers would clip them, taping the curated, tried-and-tested recipes into notebooks, creating a sense of community between home cooks. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s recipe archives are filled with treasures submitted by past food editors, journalists and readers.

Classic recipes, updated

In an era where millions of recipes are made for content consumption as much as actual consumption, traveling back in time for someone’s beloved 1970 banana bread recipe sounds pretty nice. Each week, we’re updating one of our favorite archived recipes with photos, essential cooking tips and modern ingredient substitutes.

New love for retro dishes

Delving into the recipe archive has been interesting. Some recipes aged well, like this banana bread. Others have not — we’ll be skipping Congealed Vegetable Salad. And a few, like schnitzel, have made recent comebacks on multiple restaurant menus across Atlanta or were spurred by my newfound love of all things retro, such as the tomato aspic, both of which readers can look forward to in the near future.

How to make moist banana bread

This banana bread is a straightforward and easy recipe with standard ingredients you may already have in your pantry. Bake a loaf using bananas that are overripe, as they will make your bread sweeter and retain more moisture. If your bananas aren’t ripe yet, add a half-cup of full-fat yogurt to the recipe.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients until combined, but do not overmix the batter. Overmixing creates a dense texture.

To check for doneness, stick a toothpick in the center of the loaf — if it comes out without batter, it’s done.

This recipe doesn’t specify whether to use white or brown sugar, and leaves it up to the reader. Brown sugar imparts a deeper flavor, while white sugar creates a lighter one. Or combine equal amounts of white and brown sugar for a balance.

The ingredients also leave the choice of nuts to the reader. For the one pictured below, we used chopped walnuts, but feel free to omit if you prefer the bread to be nut-free.

What pairs with banana bread? The surprising recommendation

Just like apple pie, slices of banana bread were typically eaten with slices of sharp cheddar cheese for a sweet and salty balance.

Banana Bread

Prep time: 10 minutes

Baking time: 40 minutes

Makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:

• 1½ cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 3 medium bananas
• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• ½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

Cheddar cheese slices, for serving (optional)

Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions:

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda and salt. In a second bowl, mash the bananas, then add sugar, butter and eggs, and mix well. Combine the two mixtures and add nuts (optional).
3. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.