if you can't have a cuddly pet...

...a sourdough starter's the next best thing. I've neglected him more often than I care to admit (perhaps I'm not ready for the aforementioned cuddly pet...), but Eb is still getting it done for me. His latest achievement? Banana nut bread.


Even though I often claim to never have bananas too ripe to eat, it's been unavoidable with all the traveling I've been doing lately.


(banana goo, anyone?)

So, I decided to kill two birds with one stone--I satisfied my hunger for homemade banana bread and made use of Mr. Ebenezer.

In looking for a recipe, I kept coming across the same one and therefore assumed (correctly, as luck would have it) that it must be a winner. I made a few additions [cinnamon (of course), nutmeg, and cashews] and went the mini-loaf route rather than making one big brick of bread. The less time the oven is on in this heat, the better.

The end result was quite different from your typical banana bread--the sourdough flavor really added a unique and interesting component to it. The next time the fates align and I have both banana goo and a hungry starter simultaneously, you'd better believe I'll be making this bread.


Spectacular Sourdough Banana Nut Bread
(based on this recipe)

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 cup mashed banana (aka banana goo)
1 cup Eb
2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (we wouldn't want it to overpower the cinnamon, now would we?)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup chopped cashews
1 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar; add the egg and mix until blended. Mix in banana goo and Eb. Stir in vanilla.
In a separate bowl, stir together flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add flour mixture and cashews to the wet ingredients, stirring until just blended.
Pour into greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan or mini loaf pan.
Bake for 1 hour (about 35 minutes for mini loaves) or until toothpick comes out clean.
Slather with peanut butter (AWESOME suggestion, Elle!) or strawberry jam or just stick your face into a loaf and chew.