Granola Drops

Granola Drops

Adapted by Lynette Robinson from a recipe by Melissa Richardson in Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast.
These can be baked right away or stored in the fridge until later.  Leftovers freeze well.

Diabetic Friendly:  Because of the higher protein and natural sugars in this recipe, it is a wonderful way to help return blood sugar levels while the protein helps maintain.

Yield 15-24 cookies

Ingredients
2 tsp flax seeds or flax meal
2 tsp chia seeds

Grind the seeds in a coffee or spice grinder

In food processor
6 prunes
1/4 C golden raisins
1/4 C pecans
1/3 C shredded coconut

Grind all the ingredients including flax and chia in food processor until most is small.  Not powder but not whole pieces.
At this point I change to my cookie dough attachment. or mix by hand
add 1/2 C oatmeal (purists will want to either sponge at least 6 hours because of the flax, chia and oatmeal or substitute other previously soaked ingredients)
1/2 tsp baking soda (sift or break up really well)
1/4 C starter
1 egg (beaten if mixing by hand,.then blended with starter before adding to mixture.)
1/2 Milk or dark chocolate chips (optional) mini chips or slightly chopped disperses them more)

Mix well and drop on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet.  I use a small scoop.
Bake at 350' for 8 minutes.  Let them cool down on the pan.  (they will be gooey but turn spongy as they cool.

You can change this recipe a million different ways.  I have used walnuts, apricots, almonds.
Any dried fruit or nuts work.  I just always use what I have on hand.

Care and Feeding Your Start

Care and Feeding of your Natural Yeast Start 

Upon receiving your start, it needs to be fed right away and checked every day.  We recommend feeding Spelt flour or Wheat Flour.  The quality of your ingredients in feeding and in bread making will greatly affect your results. 
Initially, as your start adapts to your refrigerator and as you become accustom to caring for it, check every day.  If water gathers on the top, it has used its food and is hungry. Add as much water as you have start.  . Use wooden spoon to mix thoroughly. Add enough flour to bring your start back to its original consistency.  If you aren’t sure, take a small blob in your hand.  About the size of a golf ball.  If it sets on your fingers and doesn’t run off, it is a great consistency  Wipe the inside of the jar down to within an inch or two of the level of your start with a wet paper towel as it tends to harden. Use only glass and a wooden spoon to mix it. I keep the start in glass jar with a loose lid that doesn't tighten, keep in fridge. Some will say plastic is ok to store in but I really, really suggest glass.
You can use these grains to grind and feed:
White Wheat
Spelt
Kamut
Winter Wheat
I grind my flour and then store it in the freezer. Lasts longer that way.
Every third feeding, I suggest using white unbleached organic flour. It helps to increase the fermentation of the start. I get my white flour from Gilt Edge, Keith’s Best.  It is unbromated, unbleached and has a little citric acid for freshness.
Feed it about every three days if you wish to make bread often. Once your start is well established and happy It can go a week or two without feeding. The longer it goes between feeding, the less active your start will be.
If you let it sit too long without feeding, it will develop a grey watery liquid on top, a grey crust will also appear, just pour off any liquid, use your wooden spoon and scrape off the top layer, this will cause it to be more sour for your bread if left to soak in. Underneath it's still all good. Feed it again. Let sit a couple of days and proceed to make your bread.

If your start is too sour, use the Power Feeding cycle to restore.                         

Extra start is great for thickening gravy, feed to chickens, make cookies, etc.

Sweeteners
Your Yeast Start will feed on the flour AND the sugars in your bread. Raw Honey will impede the growth of your start and thus the raising.  Either use pasteurized honey (I’m so sorry to you honey purists) Or, better yet, scald your honey in the water and let cool before adding your yeast start.  Other good options for sweetness are
Molasses
Maple Syrup
Raw Sugar
Honey Crystals
If I use white sugar I use Cane Sugar

Sourdough Artisan Bread

Sourdough Artisan Bread

1 loaf

This method creates a nice chewy artisan type crust

3 c. flour (may be white, whole wheat, kamut, spelt, amaranth, or a combo. 

Avoid flours with bromate which is a toxic bleaching agent.

1-1   ¼ c water (may need less if your starter is wetter)

¾ to 1 c. active sourdough starter

1-2   TBS Maple Syrup or Molasses.  (More or less depending upon how sweet you want your bread or you can eliminate it altogether. )

1 ½ tsp/ sea salt or Himalayan salt

Use a dough hook, large wooden spoon, large kitchen mixer and/or your hands to knead until dough is well blended and not too wet.  You should be able to give the dough a big strong fingered squeeze and not have it stick to your hand but still be a little moist.  Dough will become a little more moist as it sponges.

Cover with plastic wrap or wet dish towel and let rise about 8 hours.  This doesn’t need lots of babysitting.  Just send it thankful thoughts as your walk by to encourage the work of this productive micro life as it breaks down the gluten and eliminates phytic acid from your bread.  The easiest thing to do is put it together at night and let it go to work while you sleep, or in the morning before work.  The longer it cultures the more the gluten is broken down.

When the dough has doubled in size, dump it onto an oiled counter, (olive, hemp, avocado but not any form of vegetable oil)  Knead, stretch and fold again a few times then shape into a round loaf.  Place on parchment paper large enough that you can pick up the dough ball by the edges of the paper.  Put the dough on parchment paper back into the bowl, smith side up.  Let rise for another 2-4 hours or until doubled in size.  (This happens quickly or slowly depending upon room temp)

About 40 minutes before your bread is ready to bake, place an enameled, 8-10 inch, deep dish cast iron Dutch oven into your cold oven and turn heat to 450 degrees.  Set the time for 40 minutes.  This thoroughly heats the cast iron pot and lid creating an artisan oven effect.  You can use almost any ceramic, oven type lidded pot.  (I use my cast iron Dutch oven)

Just before you transfer your bread into the Dutch oven, make about a ¼ inch slice across the top of your loaf.  This prevents your loaf from breaking along the edges as it bakes but rather fives a nice puffy slice across the top.

At the 40 minute mark transfer your bread dough, parchment paper and all into the hot pot by holding the edges of the paper.

If you like chewy crust, before you transfer the bread and parchment paper, put about 1/4 cup water in the hot Dutch oven.  Replace the lid quickly to capture the resulting steam.  Wait a few seconds and then remove the lid and transfer the sourdough cradled on the parchment into the steamy pot.  Quickly replace the lid.

Bake for 12-15 minutes with the lid on.  Remove the lid and continue baking for another 12-13 minutes until golden brown.  Remove to a wire rack and cool at least 30 minutes before cutting.

After you master this wonderful bread, play around with it by adding garlic, onion, rosemary, etc. and less sweetener for more earthy bread, or raisins, nuts, cinnamon, etc. with a tad more sweetener for a more festive bread.  Remember that if you add flax, chia or other yummy grains, pre-soak them and then add at the very beginning with the starter, water.  Let the added grains/seeds soak for a few minutes before adding the flour.  Most of all, HAVE FUN and be thankful for these microorganisms.

Raisin Walnut Cake

Raisin Walnut Cake

Serves 15

Ingredients

1 ½ C Sugar

2 C whole wheat flour

½ C white flour or cornstarch

½ tsp salt

1 c buttermilk

½ C natural yeast starter

½ c vegetable oil

¾ c pureed pears or applesauce

1 c raisins (will be chopped in the blender)

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cloves

Sponge above

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp vanilla

1 c chopped walnuts (optional)

3 eggs (optional)

Put flour, salt, spices and sugar in a mixing bowl and blend well with wire whisk

In blender puree buttermilk, fruit, oil and raisins

Add starter and mix on low speed

*Add blender mixture to dry ingredients and beat for at least 2 full minutes

Cover with plastic wrap or a lid and allow to sponge (set in a warm place for at least 6 and up to 24 hours)

After sponging time mix  in  beaten eggs, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and walnuts. Mix very well.

Pour into 9x13 baking pan and bake at 350’ for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool slightly and drizzle with lemon or orange glaze.

Orange or Lemon Glaze

1 C confectioners’ sugar

¼ tsp orange or lemon juice

Start with sugar in a bowl and add juice a Tablespoon at a time until the right consistency is achieved.

*To use whole wheat in your favorite cake recipe, substitute approximately ¼ of the amount of flour given in the recipe with cornstarch and use whole wheat flour for the other ¾.  This will give the cake a finer texture and help it keep its delicate lightness.

*To eliminate a course texture in a cake, be sure to beat it thoroughly together.  Most cakes require that the batter is beaten about 300 strokes by hand or 2-3 minutes with electric mixer after the last ingredients have been added.  After the batter is poured into the pan, gently tap the pan on the countertop so the small bubbles will rise to the top.  Break bubbles with a spoon and then bake as per recipe directions.

Raisin Nut Bread

Raisin Nut Bread     

Yield 2 Loaves

Lynette Robinson Keep it Simple Food

Adapted from Baking with Natural Yeast by Melissa Richardson

Ingredients

½ C natural yeast starter (stir before measuring)

2 C lukewarm water, unchlorinated

½ plain yogurt or milk kefir

2 tsp salt

½ c real maple syrup

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

5-6 C Whole Wheat flour

2 C fresh white flour

½ C soaked Raisins  (I like to heat the water and lightly blend in blender)

½ c chopped nuts (walnuts, pecans, almonds or a mixture)

½ C shredded coconut

Setting up the dough

(at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine starter, water with chopped raisins, yogurt, salt, maple syrup, oil and 2 c whole wheat flour in mixer. At this point I use a wire whisk if by hand or use whip in my mixer and beat until smooth.

Change to dough hook and add flour a cup or two at a time and mix until smooth or until dough cleans the sides of your mixer bowl. (There will be residual bits near the top and on the sides but the dough will pull into a ball.

Allow the dough to knead for 10 (Yes Ten) minutes.

While the bread is kneading, prepare your nuts and coconut.  If your coconut flake is large you may want to pulse it once or twice in a food processor or blender to make it extra small.  Some people love the flavor but not the texture of shredded coconut.  A few minutes before the end of kneading, dump your chopped raisins, nuts and coconut into the mixing bowl with the dough.

When the dough has been kneaded long enough to pass the “windowpane test” remove the dough and any loose fruit and nuts onto a slightly damp work surface.  (You want just enough water to keep the dough from sticking, but not enough to waterlog your dough.

Wet your hands with water, and knead the dough a few times, until the texture is uniform and the remainder of the fruit and nuts has been incorporated into the dough evenly.  This can take a minute or two so be patient.

Place dough smooth side up into a pre-greased bowl or container.  Remember to choose a container that allows room for your dough to double in size.  You can also split your dough and use two smaller bowls.

Cover your bowl with greased plastic wrap or with a thick, damp kitchen towel. (Thin towels dry out too quickly and stick to the dough)

Place on countertop to rise overnight or all day for 6-12 hours.

If you haven’t fed your starter, now is the time. 

After a minimum of 6 hours, turn dough out of bowl onto wet work surface.

Wet hands and use dough scraper or sharp serrated bread knife to cut the dough in 2 equal pieces.

Set pieces aside on a damp surface and grease your pans. (This gives your dough time to “relax” before shaping.)  Take one dough section and pat it out on your damp work surface.

Shape each piece individually into sandwich loaves, artisan boules, or rolls.

Allow the loaves to rise in a warm place until the dough slowly returns a gentle fingerprint.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Bake for 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads at least 180 degrees.

Remove from pans and allow to cool completely before cutting.

For a little extra pizazz, toss a small handful of chopped nuts and coconut in a little maple syrup and sprinkle on top of your loaves just before placing them in the oven.  These will brown and crisp, creating a pretty topping for your bread.

Protein Punch Chia Flax Loaf

Protein Punch: Chia Flax Loaf 

Diabetic Friendly

Adapted from a recipe from Beyond Baking with Natural Yeast by Melissa Richardson

Yield 2 Loaves

Ingredients

2 ½ C water

½ C starter

2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp Honey (optional.  Raw honey is antimicrobial and will inhibit the growth of your start.  Use pasturized honey, scald it in the water or use alternate sweetener.)

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

¼ c chia seeds

¼ c ground flax seed

5-6 C flour

Setting up the Dough

(at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine the water, starter, salt, honey, coconut oil and seeds in mixer bowl.

Add 2 C flour and beat until smooth.

Change to dough hook and add flour 2 cups at a time until mixer cleans sides of bowl.  There may be bits near the top and here and there in the sides but the dough ball should come together cleanly. 

Allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes or until it passes the window pane test.  (dough stretched between hands looks almost translucent in the center.)

Pull the dough out of the mixer and knead on a damp surface with slightly wet hands until all flour is incorporated and dough is smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in a greased bowl with a greased plastic, lid or wet towel.  The dough will double  in size so be sure bowl is big enough.  Towel must stay wet during entire sponge process.

Place bowl of dough on countertop to rest and get happy for a minimum of 6 hours. (I love my Tupperware fix and mix bowl with lid for this)  Up to 24 hours, then may be refrigerated for up to a week.

Shaping and final rise

Turn dough out of the bowl onto your damp work surface.  Divide in two equal pieces.  Shape loaves and place in greased pans.  Invert another greased pan on top of each loaf to allow it to breathe without drying out.

When loaves are double and rounded tops,   (2-2 ½ hours) check for bubbles and pop with sharp knife or scissors. 

Preheat oven to 350’

Bake for 35 minutes or until thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads at least 180 degrees.  You can also invert a loaf from the pan onto your gloved hand and thump bottom with your other hand.  Hollow sound and crusty bottom indicates that it is done. 

Remove from pans and allow to cool completely before cutting.

Oatmeal Cake

Close to the animal.  Close to the Tree.  Keep it Simple

Back in the 60s I didn't know a single soul who was allergic to any food.  We ate at home, cooked from scratch and usually, what we ate came from our own garden, barn or pasture.  Flour was white, sugar was either white or brown.  In fact, during harvest season  I used to work for a farmer who grew sugar beets.  My mom drove a dump truck and I sat in the scale house and weighed the trucks as they headed to the processing factory full of beets.  

Summer days were lemonade made with real lemons and real sugar.  Sometimes moms drank diet cola but not many watched what or how much they ate and there were very few overweight people.  I'm sure it had a lot to do with the fact that there were only three channels on TV and those channels were in black and white.  Very few people owned a color TV but my grandparents did, and once a year we would go across town to watch TV.  It always aired on a Sunday evening.  We loved the Wizard of Oz starring Judy Garland and it just isn't the same experience to watch in black and white.

Grandma was a great cook and she always had a sweet treat for us to enjoy.  As long as we do so responsibly, whole foods that are sweet make gathering with family sweet memories.  

Oatmeal Cake

Bobbie Heap

Ingredients

1 C quick oatmeal (I use regular all the time)
1 1/2 C boiling water
1 cube butter softened
1 C brown sugar (may substitute 1/2 C molasses)
1 C granulated sugar (Raw)
2 eggs beaten
1 1/2 C whole ground wheat or spelt  flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Soak oatmeal in boiling water for 20 minutes. Cream oleo (the original term for margarine) and sugars until fluffy. Add eggs, then flour and combined seasonings. Mix well. Add oatmeal and stir.
Bake in greased and floured dripper pan at 350' for 35 minutes

Icing for the cake
1 cube butter
3/4 C brown sugar
1/4 c evaporated milk or cream
Put in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Stir well. Add 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 C chopped pecans or walnuts and 1 C coconut. Stir and spread on top of hot or cold cake
This cake is moist and delicious!

Neta’s Bread 

White Pioneer Recipe adapted for Natural Yeast  (Yield 3-4 loaves)

4 C milk, scalded and cooled

½ C Natural Yeast Start

1 C Sugar

1 ½ Tbsp. Salt

½ C. oil

5-6 C Flour.  This recipe calls for white flour but I usually add a cup or two of whole wheat or spelt flour.

Do not use flour with Bromate.  It will inhibit the growth of your start.

Mix all ingredients plus 2 C. of  Flour. 

Once mixture is smooth with no lumps, continue to add  flour  a cup at a time and mix until all flour is incorporated before adding more.  Continue to knead until smooth and elastic and all flour bits are mixed in.

Place in clean greased bowl with lid or plastic wrap coated with oil or cooking spray.

Allow to rest on your counter at least 6 but as long as 24 hours.  Refrigerate dough if you aren’t ready to bake for up to a week.

Shape in to loaves and let rise until double in bulk. 2-2 ½ hours

Preheat oven to 350’ and bake 30 – 35 minutes or until done.  Turn loaf out of pan onto your gloved hand and thump bottom.  Hollow sound indicates it is done.  Internal temperature at least 180’

Orange Pecan Swirl Rolls

When you have a beautiful batch of dough, your options are only as limited as your imagination.  Neta’s Bread makes luscious loaves but today I wanted to make sweet rolls.  I rolled the dough with a rolling pin.  If it seems very elastic and reluctant to roll yo 1/2”thickness, let it rest on your surface ten minutes.  Then roll.

Filling: cream cheese with a few drops orange flavoring.  I colored the cream cheese with three drops of red and two drops of yellow and mix well.  Spread mixture on rolled out dough.  Sprinkle generously with sugar and chopped pecans.  Roll and cut into 1” slices. (I use dental floss) Place on greased jelly roll or dropper pan.  Bake at 400’ for 15-20 minutes until lightly brown.  When cool, frost with cream cheese frosting.


Cinnamon Rolls

Follow the above instructions but for filling use melted butter, brown or Rae sugar, sprinkle generously cinnamon, raisins and nuts.

Light Rye Bread

Light Rye Bread

Adapted from Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast by Melinda Richardson

Yields 2 loaves

Ingredients

½ C starter

2 C  water

¼ C honey

2 Tbsp. coconut oil

2 tsp salt

2 C  rye flour

3 ½-4 C whole wheat flour

2 Tbsp. caraway seeds

Setting up the dough

(at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine the starter, water, honey, oil, and salt in a mixer.  Add the rye flour, caraway and 2 C wheat flour and mix.  Add the rest of the flour and a little bit more if needed, until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl. Let the dough sit for 5 minutes then knead until thoroughly combined.  You will see the gluten starting to form as the dough pulls into a ball and starts wrapping around the center.  (about 5 minutes.)

Place in a greased bowl with a lid, greased plastic or wet towel over. (be sure the towel stays wet during sponge period)  Minimum 6 hours.

Shaping and final rise.

Pull the dough onto a very slightly wet surface again and divide into 2 equal pieces.  Let it sit for 10 minutes while you grease 4 loaf pans.  (I like to invert the second pan on the loaf during rise to let breathe but keep from drying out.)  Keep your hands wet and press the dough into a big rectangle fold into thirds horizontally and then vertically and then tuck ends under making the top smooth.  Place in the pans and cover.  Let rise a second time.  After 2-2 ½ hours, when the dough has a nice rounded top, bake for 30 minutes in a 375’ preheated oven until it reaches an internal temperature of 190 degrees.  Do not slice until completely cool or it will be doughy.

Honey Molasses Sandwich Bread

Honey Molasses Sandwich Bread

Adapted From The Art of Baking with Natural Yeast

by Melissa Richardson

Yield 2 loaves

Ingredients

½ C Start (stir before measuring)

2 1/2 C lukewarm water (not highly chlorinated. 

Use bottled water or tap water that has set out for 24 hours.)

2 tsp salt

¼ C.  honey  (Scald with water and let cool if using raw honey or consider using raw sugar as raw honey will hinder yeast growth.)

¼ C. Molasses

7-8 C whole wheat bread flour.  (I get a better texture with a couple of cups high quality white flour)

The quantity and type of sweetener can be adjusted as needed.  If you are increasing the honey or molasses, be sure to increase your flour by about double the measured amount of the sweetener.

Setting up the Dough

(at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine start, water, salt, honey, molasses and 2 c flour in bowl of mixer

I like to use the mixer whip attachment and add enough flour till the mixture is smooth with no lumps.  

Change to the dough hook and continue to add flour until dough cleans the sides of your mixer bowl.  (There may be residual bits near the top, and here and there along the sides, but the lower half of the bowl should be clean.  Once the sides have been cleaned, allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes or until the dough can be stretched between your fingers and it thins in the center that you can almost see light through it.

You may need to hand work the dough on a slightly wet surface until all flour is worked in.

Put in a large greased bowl with greased plastic, wet towel or lid.  I like my Tupperware fix and mix for this. 

Leave out on counter for 6- 10 hours. Longer will not hurt.  If longer than 24 hours, refrigerate dough after initial sponge time.   Not too cool or too warm.  Just room temperature.

Shape into 2 loaves and set to rise.  I like to grease 4 loaf pans and put one inverted on top of the rising  loaf. This allows the dough to breathe without drying out.  It isn’t necessary to put in a warm place.  The more gradual rise will result in less hollow bubbles on the surface.  If you see a bubble forming, use a pair of clean scissors to break bubble. 

Allow loaves to rise for 2-3 hours until double or the dough slowly returns a gentle fingerprint.  Check for and break bubbles.

Preheat oven to 375’

Bake for 25 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads at least 180 degrees.  You can also invert the loaf onto your gloved hand and thump the bottom of the loaf.  Listen for hollow sound.

Remove from pans and allow to cool completely before cutting if you can wait that long. Lol!

Cranberry Ginger Loaf

Cranberry Ginger Loaf

Adapted from Beyond Basics with

 Natural Yeast by Melinda Richardson

Yield 2 loaves

Ingredients

2 ½ C Water

½ C starter

2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp. coconut oil

¼ C Honey

1 tsp ground ginger (or to taste)

5-6 C whole wheat flour

1 C quartered fresh cranberries

Setting up the Dough (at least 10 hours before baking)

Combine the water, starter, salt, coconut oil, honey and ginger in a mixer.

Add the flour 2 cups at a time allowing the mixer to incorporate the flour before adding more.

Continue adding flour until the dough cleans the sides of your mixer bowl.  (There may be residual bits near the top and here and there along the sides, but the lower half of the bowl should be clean.)

Once the sides have cleaned, allow the dough to knead for 10 minutes.

While the bread is kneading, prepare your cranberries.  I use the quartered berries as they are but here are a few tips: If you want your berries to bleed more color into your loaf, toss them lightly in a tablespoon of sugar and let them sit for a few minutes before adding them to the dough.  For less bleeding, toss the in a tablespoon of flour before adding them.

A few minutes before the end of kneading, dump your cranberries into the mixing bowl.

When the dough has been kneaded long enough to pass the windowpane test, remove the dough and make sure any loose berries and all flour is incorporated.  Knead a little by hand if needed.

Place the dough into a greased bowl with a lid, greased plastic wrap or wet towel.  Make sure towel doesn’t dry out during sponge time.

Place on the countertop to rise overnight or all day. (6-12 hours)

Does your starter need to be fed?  Now is the time!

After a minimum of 6 hours, turn the dough out of the bowl onto your work surface.

Use a dough scraper or sharp serrated bread knife to cut the dough into 2 equal pieces.

Set pieces aside and grease your pans.  Let the dough relax for a few minutes before shaping.

Shape each piece into sandwich loaves, artisan boules or rolls.

Allow to rise in a warm place for 2-2 ½ hours or until the dough slowly returns a gentle finger print.

Preheat oven to 350’

Bake for 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted into the bottom of the loaf reads at least 180’.  You can also invert a loaf out of the pan onto your gloved hand and thump the bottom.  Hollow sound indicates bread is done.  Rolls will be lightly brown on top and bottom.

Remove from the pans and allow to cool completely before cutting. 

Banana Bread

Banana Bread   

Yield one loaf

From Beyond Basics with Natural Yeast by Melissa Richardson

Soak

(6 hours before baking)

1 C natural yeast starter

1 egg

1 C whole wheat pastry flour or (¼ C corn starch and ¾ C whole wheat flour)

Mix together the starter and one egg.  Add flour and mix until all flour is incorporated into a rather firm ball of dough.  Cover and set to sit for 6-12 hours.

Final Batter

½ C butter or coconut oil

¾ C brown or raw sugar.  May also substitute molasses or real maple syrup.

1 egg

2 1/3 C. over ripe bananas (about 6 large bananas)

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

½ C chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350’.  Cream together the butter and sugar.  Add the egg.  Add  sponge mixture  in chunks, mixing well after each addition.  Add the mashed bananas.  To bake walnuts into the loaf, add them now.  Sprinkle the baking soda and salt across the top and mix well.

Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan.  To bake walnuts into the crust only, sprinkle walnuts over the top and press gently with the flat of your hand or the back of a spatula to set them into the batter.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.  If the top of your loaf is browning too quickly, cover it with tented tin foil and continue to bake. 

As impossible as this sounds, try to wait until the loaf is relatively cool before cutting.  While hot, it will be more prone to crumbling.