Hello friends!

This isn’t a complete issue of the newsletter, but more of a notice that I am taking a little break from this monthly mailing to focus on some other writing for the summer.

I will be back with essays and studio photos soon enough, but in the meantime I leave you with a recipe for the best banana bread I have ever made.

See you in September! And if you want to check in on me from time to time, you will find me at Red Cedar where I blog intermittently about my life.

May Recipe: Sourdough Banana Bread

This is hands down the best banana bread recipe, and the secret is in the order of ingredients. Yes, it definitely feels weird to add the oil last, but it changes the way the batter comes together and bakes to create a loaf that rises incredibly and also has a crust with a bit of bite.

Ingredients

• Butter, for coating the pan

• 1.5-2 cups mashed overripe bananas

• 1 1/4 cups lightly packed brown sugar

• 1½ tsp pure vanilla extract

• 2 large eggs

• 1/2 cup bubbly, active 100% hydration sourdough starter

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1½ tsp baking soda

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt

• ½ cup neutral flavored oil (canola, corn etc)

• 1/4 cup milk

• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or nuts if you like that kind of thing in a banana bread.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F.

2. Lightly coat a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter.

3. Add the bananas, sugar, and vanilla to a bowl. Cream with a hand mixer for a minute until well emulsified.

4. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well. Add the sourdough starter.

5. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl with the banana mixture and then stir with a wooden spoon to incorporate.

6. Add the milk and oil and mix with the spon until just combined. Don’t overdo it at this point because it makes the bread tough.

7. Add chocolate chips and/or nuts at this point.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared pan - bake for 65-75 minutes until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. At 55 minutes, put a piece of foil on top of the bread to stop it from browning too much.

9. Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.