Pandemic Baking, Finding Hope in the Kitchen, and a Recipe for (Slightly) Healthier Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Like many people, I started baking a lot more after the pandemic started. While I have yet to jump on the sourdough bandwagon, I did find myself mixing flour and sugar and butter together on a much more regular basis than I used to. When I’d scroll through my Instagram feed, it was obvious I wasn’t alone in that practice.
Why do we do that? Why do we find ourselves with a big mixing bowl and a spatula and a newfound desire to use our ovens?
Science, so I’ve heard, has a lot to say about what sugar and carbs do to our brains and bodies (like increasing dopamine levels, which brings us pleasure but is also why practicing moderation is necessary). Yet then why do we sometimes find satisfaction in baking, even when we’re not the ones to eat the fruits of our labor? Why does the act of making cookies or bread or whatever else seem to bring some sense of comfort?
Apparently, even small acts of creativity contribute to our emotional well-being. I’m no scientist or psychologist, so I won’t attempt to unpack the findings of some of the studies that have been done. But I’ve experienced this truth myself. Creating for my emotional well-being is why I started this blog. It’s why I love coming up with recipes. It’s why, even when my feet are tired and we have nothing ready to eat for dinner, I end up with an insatiable desire to bake banana bread.
It’s been a long couple years for pretty much everyone, and while we certainly don’t want to resort to unhealthy habits or drowning our emotions in batter, there’s something to say for the act of creating. There’s something about putting together ingredients that, by themselves, may not even be edible–and ending up with a decadent, delicious, even comforting result.
Jeremy Begbie, a theologian, musician, and professor at Duke Divinity School, said, “One of the things musicians can teach us is that the most wonderful things can come out of the most unpromising material.”
Cooking and baking do the same. Flour and baking soda and salt sit in our pantries, and there’s not much about them that’s all that special. But put them together alongside a few other ingredients, and you get something wonderful.
In other words, creativity shows us transformation. It reminds us of how things can be, how beauty can come from what, at first glance, seems useless.
I wonder if that’s the reminder we’ve all needed these last couple years. Maybe that’s the hope that has drawn us into our kitchens all along.
(Slightly) Healthier Double Chocolate Banana Bread
Yields 1 loaf
1 ¼ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ cup brown sugar
½ cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
½ cup plain Greek yogurt
½ cup coconut oil, melted and slightly cooled
1 cup mashed bananas (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped walnuts, plus more for the top
½ cup chocolate chips
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8x4-inch loaf pan. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix gently just until incorporated. Fold in the walnuts and chocolate chips, being careful not to over-mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Top with a few chopped walnuts.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with a bit (or a lot) of butter. I also love the combination of salt and cocoa, so I topped my slices with a bit of flaky sea salt.
This bread is best when fresh, but leftovers can be wrapped and refrigerated for a couple days. Rewarm in the microwave or oven. Enjoy!
