I made a giant pan of banana bread for some students today. I made a triple recipe. I've never made this much banana bread at once before. It turned into to a sort of banana bread-cake.  Well because frankly, it didn't look like bread but much more like a giant sheet cake. Last night baking it I worried that it wasn't going to turn out. But it was just fine.

[caption id="attachment_2976" align="alignleft" width="500" caption="A pretty poor picture of my Banana Bread"]<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dsc01781.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-2976" title="Banana Bread " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/dsc01781.jpg" alt="" width="500" height="375" /></a>[/caption]

My students said, this isn't bread! Then one of my colleagues said, how can it be bread with something sweet like bananas? I don't know.  It's just bread. With bananas.

Then everyone told me how great it was and how they really wanted the recipe. Here it comes. Well, after a little history. <!--more-->

So I came home and looked up the history of banana bread. Thanks <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_bread" target="_blank">wikipedia</a>. Turns out that banana bread made it's big break in the 1930's in America with the rise (and popularization) of baking soda and baking powder. Because apparently it wasn't until the 1840's when the first factory for baking soda was established in the States. (Who knew?!) And baking powder shortly followed suit. Banana bread is probably still popular in the States because of how easy it is to make.

Why call it bread? Well, I'd have guessed because of the shape of the pan it bakes it but it turns out that banana bread is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quick_bread" target="_blank">quick bread</a>--meaning that it rises without yeast.  Why add bananas? Well, if there's a better way to eat old, mushy, turning brown bananas, I don't know of it.

I made a<strong> Carolyn-inspired</strong> version of <strong>Banana Bread</strong> (<a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/banana-bread-recipe/index.html">this recipe</a> originally from the foodnetwork)

*  1 cup granulated sugar

* 8 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 2 large eggs

* 3 medium ripe bananas (I used frozen bananas--from my freezer. Just pop them in when they're on the verge of going bad and you can use them easy-peasy in this recipe. Get them out 30 minutes before you want to use them.)

* 1 tablespoon milk (or yogurt)

* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

* 2 cups all-purpose flour

* 1 teaspoon baking powder

* 1 teaspoon baking soda

<strong> Directions</strong>

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Mix the sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.  In a small bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Mix in the milk and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.  Add the banana mixture to the creamed mixture and stir until combined. Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 1 hour to 1 hour 10 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set aside to cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove bread from pan, invert onto rack and cool completely before slicing.