Gram's Banana Tea Bread

A box of comfort found

I’m a hopeless optimist. I am constantly looking for the good. I honestly believe everything happens for a reason and, given time, you’ll figure out why. Which is why I am struggling with the Coronavirus and the circumstances we find ourselves in. But, ever the optimist, I am trying to find good in this crisis and I have found it in my grandma’s recipe box.

I have found that on the days I am truly missing her, when my grief is crippling, looking at her handwriting and having her recipe to guide me through baking has been very therapeutic. I used to bake with her when I was a little girl and I wish I had the opportunity to do it now, as someone who would appreciate it more. I would love to ask the stories about the recipe, who she got it from, when did she make it, who did she make it for, etc.

Simplistic perfection

Over the years I have tried quite a few different recipes for Banana Bread. My favorite has a whole brick of cream cheese in it and loads of butter. It is delicious. It is not healthy. So, the minimal fat in this recipe had me wondering if this was going to be a dry loaf. The recipe is also very simple, and I seem to have myself trained that if it is not complicated then it is not worth it.

Well, no. That is not the case at all. Really, the simplest ingredients and the basic baking principles are what make those generational dishes. The dishes passed down one generation to the next. We all loved this loaf of bread and I appreciated the simplicity of baking and making something from scratch.

A favorite worth sharing

I hope you try my grandmother's recipe and love it just as much as I do. I hope it brings you comfort and optimism, and provide an opportunity to build your own memories around it. 

Please let me know if you tried it and what you think. Do you have any family recipes that bring you this kind of peace and comfort? I sure hope so! And I hope even more that you'll take the time to share it with me.