Grandmama’s Banana Bread

As a little girl, my grandma made a rule for all her grandkids. All of us granddaughters were supposed to call them GrandMama and GrandPapa. But the grandsons could call the grandma and grandpa. That was total crap, and I know I only used GrandMama when I got older and wanted to give her a little bit of crap.

My grandma was a great cook! And baker. Anytime we went to their house, obviously GrandMama, had snacks and treats and was prepping a dinner for us all to enjoy. My uncle would always say, “we didn’t come here to eat” and I can still hear him saying that.

This may come as a shock, but I LOVE COOKBOOKS!!!! I really enjoy reading the old recipes, and when you find and collect from family, thrift shops, and flea markets, you sometimes can get a great deal of love written in the margins of a recipe.

My GrandMama made the best banana bread on earth. I still have her recipe card with her original handwriting and caked in old ingredients, which have perfectly preserved the card to give to the next generation.

I follow this recipe card to a “T”, with a few adjustments for what I have on hand. There is only one omission, the walnuts. I am a firm believer in “no nuts in baked goods”. And I have started using olive oil instead of the butter or shortening.

The catholic school handwriting, the double underline under the word good, and the smell of GrandMama’s Banana Bread are all I need sometimes to give me comfort.

So, here ya go! You now have the best banana bread recipe from the Pfau recipes. I am excited to see what your versions of this recipe are.

Banana Loaf Ingredients

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup chopped nuts

• 3 crushed bananas

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 eggs

• 2 cups sifted flour

• 1/2 cup butter or shortening

• 1/2 cup sour milk

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Baking note from the back of the card

Bake at 350° for 1 hour.