Cranberry Banana Loaf - Easy Victorian Recipe for the non-baker

Dear Reader,

I found this easy to make Victorian recipe in an old library book while visiting a relative. I don’t remember the title considering I took a photo of the recipe with my phone--yes, I do that when I am too cheap to pay for copies. It’s been stashed on my computer for a few years.

Quarantine has certainly given me the opportunity to learn how to cook. I have enjoyed trying new recipes and I find it much easier and affordable to eat healthier. I decided to take a small notebook and begin an at-home recipe book, and when I rediscovered this quick and easy Victorian bread recipe, I decided to give it a try. Especially since it’s the holidays and cranberries are in season.

What I like about this recipe is that it requires no yeast and no rising time. And, it’s a wet dough, meaning there is no need to knead--the muscles in my hands have been a bit tender from writing and illustrating. And because the dough is wet, it can easily shape within a mold. I used this Nordic Ware Wildflower Loaf Pan from Amazon for a bit of extra flare:

The results should be a semi-dense bread that is not overly sweet. You can eat it by itself, as a dessert, in the morning with a cup of coffee or tea, or drizzle it with warm chocolate and serve with ice cream.

For this easy Victorian bread recipe, you will need the following:

½ cup of sugar (the recipe called for a whole cup, but I only used half)

5 tbsp softened butter (you can put in microwave for just under a minute to make soft)

1 cup mashed banana

¼ cup milk (I used almond milk with a bit of buttermilk)

2 large eggs

2 cup flour

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup of chopped nuts (I used an old coffee grinder to chop the nuts)

½ cup chopped cranberries (the larger the pieces, the more the taste comes through)

Loaf pan

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Grease your loaf pan with oil. I used olive oil and it worked well! Also, you can use a thin strip of parchment parchment paper to go across the pan, width-wise, to help lift the loaf out of the pan.

3. Mix your sugar and melted butter together until completely blended. The texture was mildly grainy.

4. Add banana, milk, eggs and extract. Mix well.

5. Add flour, salt, baking powder, salt and nuts (if you want, you can add a bit of spices like cinnamon, pumpkin, nutmeg or ginger). Then, gently fold in mashed banana and cranberries. Try not to overmix.

6. Spread batter into loaf pan.

7. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. (when you poke a toothpick or fork into loaf it should come out dry)

I topped my loaf with a modest sprinkle of powdered sugar.

Best to enjoy within one week of baking.

Thank you so much for reading. If you do complete this recipe, feel free to share your thoughts and flavor combinations on my twitter @chantelgrayson or instagram @channysart