Banana Bread

Peel the overripe bananas into a large bowl. Mash thoroughly with a fork until almost completely smooth — a few small lumps are fine and add texture. The bananas must be very overripe: deep brown to black on the exterior, soft to the point of being nearly liquid. Underripe yellow bananas lack the concentrated sweetness and starch conversion that makes banana bread work.

To the mashed banana, add the brown sugar, melted (and cooled) butter, eggs, vanilla, and spices. Whisk until fully combined and the sugar is mostly dissolved. The butter must be cooled — if it's still hot, it will scramble the eggs. The mixture will look thick and glossy, like a loose caramel sauce.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together over the wet mixture. Using a rubber spatula, fold gently with a J-stroke motion — scrape under, fold over — just until no dry flour streaks remain. Do not stir vigorously or beat. Overworking the batter develops gluten and creates a tough, rubbery loaf rather than a tender, moist one. Ten to fifteen folds should be enough.

Preheat the oven to 175°C. Pour the batter into a greased and floured 23x13cm loaf pan. Optionally, sprinkle the top with 1 tablespoon of brown sugar for a crackly crust. Bake for 55–65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The top should crack along the center — this is correct. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out.