The original banana bread recipe looked nothing like it does today, and it sure didn’t taste like it does today. There have been many cultures spanning over thousands of years that have tried to improve upon the original bread recipe. Eventually, from these efforts the modern day banana bread recipe was born.
There is no actual record indicating that in such and such a year at such and such location the first banana bread recipe was designed, developed, and baked. Rather, we have to look at the evolution of the various ingredients that would eventually turn into what we now call the banana bread recipe.
One of the elements that makes a banana bread stand apart is the fact that it is known as a quick bread. Quick bread is made from all the same basic ingredients that most breads are made from with the exception of the omission of yeast. The beginning of all bread started off as quick bread. Nearly 12, 000 years ago the first bread and bread products were developed. Unlike the light and fluffy versions of today, the original breads were tough, chewy, and somewhat bland.
12, 000 years ago bread was initially developed and became a staple of the dietary needs. It began to grow onto a more flavorful and delicate recipe much later. The simplest version of bread is nothing more than wheat flour and some water that was mashed together and then placed on hot rocks. In order to speed the heating process, the flat rocks were also covered from the top with hot ash.
The face of bread was changed by the Egyptians. There is evidence that the Egyptians were able to lighten the bread and give it a less dense taste when they realized that the dough made from wheat could ferment. The fermentation process produced gas that created lighter bread. This is believed to have occurred about 4, 000 BC.
Bread was changed dramatically 6, 000 years later when the Egyptians figured out that bread dough made from wheat could rise provided that there was an appropriate place to ferment the dough. This added air, which in turn created a softer more palatable bread.
The first most obvious banana bread recipe attempt came from the Greeks. Once the Greek philosopher came up with the first ever written botany book, historians can see that there were bananas in Greece which were popular enough to be a primary local food. This meant that the lighter bread with bananas had significantly improved the taste of the food product.
In 1796 North America saw it first cook book, and it also saw its first introduction to leavening with Pearlash. It wouldn’t be until’75 that baking powder would come to American markets. The’th century banana bread recipe was made in the United States and very closely resembles the banana bread recipe that sits in your own cook book.
If you want to learn how to make lots of delicious types of banana bread in your home kitchen, try these banana bread recipes written by Ben Cook. Ben recommends thismoist banana bread recipe to begin with.
