I made banana bread today. I was really excited to try this recipe as I have heard some amazing stories about it from several sources. However, my oven decided it was going to do it’s own thing, giving the top a not-so-nice deep brown that was boarder-line crunchy. I pulled the bread from the oven and the top had been burnt but the middle was still gooey. I said some choice words to the oven, fiddled with the dial, and put the bread back in hopes of at least baking the middle through. 25 minutes longer than the recipe called for, I pulled the bread back out, promptly sliced myself a piece and was pleasantly surprised! Amidst the blackened top, it did not have that burnt taste that can sometimes permeate throughout. It was moist, chocolaty with hints of candied ginger (I am still using that bag that I ran out to get the other night for my scones!), fragrant with the scents of banana and warm bread. This bread is absolute comfort!
The recipe is great! My baking today, not so great; but it wasn’t a total debacle 
. Don’t let my ornery oven scare you out of making this recipe, it truly is a gem that I will be making again (and again, and again…)!
Banana Bread (recipe adapted from here)
1 cup granulated sugar (for vegan version, use raw sugar)
1 large egg (or 1 ½ tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer plus 2 Tbs warm water, says Glenn)
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter (or ½ c non-hydrogenated margarine), at room temperature
2 ripe medium-size bananas
3 Tbs milk (or soy milk)
2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 cup chocolate chips
Small chunks of candied ginger, to taste
½ cup chopped walnuts, optional
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan with butter or cooking spray, and set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream sugar, egg, and butter.
In a separate bowl, mash bananas; then mix with milk.
In another separate bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Add flour mixture to butter mixture in three parts, alternating with banana-milk mixture in two parts, stirring by hand until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips, ginger, and optional nuts.
Turn batter into loaf pan, smoothing top with the back of a spoon, and bake for one hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool for a few minutes; then remove bread from pan and cool on a wire rack.
