Thank you to Sandra Quigley for contributing this lovely recipe!

This recipe is from my grandmother’s copy of ‘The Joy of Cooking’. She signed it in 1949. The book falls open to this page. It works every time!

– Sandra

1943 Joy of Cooking Banana Bread Recipe

Banana Bread 

Recipe from the 1943 edition

This recipe is easily doubled or tripled if you have lots of ripe bananas. Loaves freeze well too.

 (In mixer)
Cream until light:
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup butter

Beat until light and stir in:
1 egg

Beat in:
2/3 cup bananas (about 2 medium sized bananas mashed with a fork)

(In one bowl)
Sift before measuring:
2 cups bread flour

Resift with:
½ teaspoon(t) baking powder
½ t baking soda
¼ t salt

(In a separate bowl):
3 Tablespoons (T) sour milk or buttermilk
Note: you can make sour milk by adding a little lemon juice to regular milk

Add contents of these two bowls to mixer 1/3 at a time, alternating between Flour and Milk mixtures. ie: 1/3 of the Flour mixture, then 1 T of sour milk, then second 1/3 of the Flour mixture and the second T of sour milk…just until blended only.

You may add chocolate chips or crushed nuts if you like.

Place batter in a greased 8 x 4 loaf pan.

Bake at 350^o for about 1 hour.