The jury is in: Cavendish Toasting Loaf + Banana Goon Breads
Is it too soon to be nostalgic for the quarantine? Will we talk about the Hard Reboot of 2020 like our grandparents talked about the Depression? While the virus itself was a global nightmare, I actually appreciated the quarantine. Every social interaction became more precious, working remotely was a godsend, the highways were free of traffic and it pulled my physical and mental health into sharp focus. Even though I had started my Intermittent Fasting regimen on January 1, before the quarantine kicked in, the lockdown helped give me structure to make it stick. Three-and-a-half years later and 75 pounds lighter; I’m not sure this would’ve happened without a global pandemic to give it personal urgency.
I also watched a lot of television. Bought a new flat screen because we were going to be spending a lot of nights huddling and cuddling. And I jumped on that Internet banana bread bandwagon like a man possessed.
According to my Facebook postings and recipe database, between July 2020 and January 2021, I made of 12 different variations of banana bread. I also made seven test batches of what I called Banana Goon Breads: standard banana bread stuffed with baked goods and candy. A Twix-stuffed Twinkie baked inside a mini loaf of BB. Ring Dings & White Chocolate, Funny Bones & Bacon streusel, etc. (See photo gallery for some of the results. I may devote a future column to the Goon Breads.) These culinary brain farts were baked in mini pans and delivered to N95-masked friends and family in parking lots around the area. Just my way of staying sane and humane during
the days of rising death counts and toilet paper hoarding.
Last week, I resurrected one of the more subtle BBs and farmed sample loaves out to members of the Food Jury. The original idea was to make a sandwich bread and replace some of the liquid in the recipe with pureed banana (they are 75% water, after all). Just to give it a very light sweetness and whisper of banana flavor and aroma. The starting point for this recipe was King Arthur Flour’s English Muffin Toasting Bread. The initial tests were sturdy and tasty, but then I had to give it a name. Banana Bread Bread sounded clumsy, so I called it Cavendish Toasting Loaf, naming it after the hybrid of supermarket bananas. Sounds like something eccentric from the Great British Baking Show, perfect for jam butties.
The jury this week consisted of Sandra M, Theresa W, Andrew G and Debi M. They all received a fresh loaf of bread and a bottle of my fresh apple cider. In return, I asked them to give me feedback, a 1 to 10 rating and to see if they could identify the mystery ingredient. Here are some of their responses:
Sandra: “Overall flavor and texture is outstanding. Rate this a 10+!”
Theresa: “Overall flavor is ok. Texture is consistent - it's not too crumbly and it slices well ... Untoasted, I would give it a 3 ...Toasted is a 6”.
Andrew: “...this is really a special bread compared to what I have baked. I’d have been happy to pay money for this ... So I’d say 9.5”
Debi: “The texture is more like a banana bread almost ... I swear I smelled banana when I was cutting and smelling the bread, but I did not taste any ... I give this a 7.”
Theresa and Debi both detected a light banana aroma/ taste, Andrew guessed that it might be Romano cheese. Sandra thought it contained quinoa flour, but identified the original recipe in her response. The average rating was an 8 out of 10 for the bread, but they all raved about the apple cider. Even Theresa, who wasn’t wowed by the bread, thought I ought to bottle and sell it! To her I say, keep reading, I have an upcoming apple column.
Upcoming and Ongoing
In spite of testing a deepfried seafood technique for this column, I’ve only lost another 2 lbs since my last visit to my GP, bringing my cumulative weight loss to 36 lbs this year; a total of 75 lbs lost since Jan 1, 2020. The additional weight loss means my acid reflux has relented and my A1C levels are safely below my doctor’s pre-diabetic lecture trigger.
I’m still recruiting local folks (in SE CT) to sample new recipes. If you would like to be on my food jury, email me at the address below and I’ll give you the details.
Rich Swanson is a local cook who has had numerous wins in nationally sponsored recipe contests. He is also the layout specialist here at The Day.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions? Rich Swanson can be reached at TheSurlyTable@gmail.com