An Open Letter of True Respect and Admiration for Joanne Chang,  Owner & Chef of Flour Bakery

Dear Joanne,

I started off making your banana bread this evening out of pure habit. Truly not for celebratory purposes of any kind, just because I love baking out of your book! I have planned for my blog to take pictures of my preparation of ingredients so that people know I'm not joking about this from scratch thing. Suddenly, after I was halfway through mixing the ingredients of your amazing FAMOUS Banana Bread, I realized I hadn't taken a photo of the ingredients. I was swept away with your kitchen wisdom that I follow to the letter! I even weigh my ingredients to make sure my measurements are correct! With most Chefs recipes, I find myself changing their recipe to suit my taste, not with yours (and I've made several) and certainly not with the Banana Bread. I'm not sure you'll read this, but I have appreciated the times that I've tweeted to you and you have been kind enough to tweet back. I look forward to continuing to bake different recipes out of your book and will continue to beg you, via Twitter, to come and do a book signing in Dallas so I can shake your hand! 

Even though I have never even visited your Bakery to try your version of these recipes, I have only heard about you on TV and feel like I know you through your stories in the book. I hope one day to come visit one of your Bakeries and taste for myself the delights that you offer! 

Out of respect to you I am not going to post the recipe here. It is also a fact that I feel that the readers of my blog absolutely MUST purchase your book on Amazon, at Barnes and Noble or wherever they can find it. I view your book as a Bible of sorts - you have everything broken down in your recipes that they are so easy to follow one would think for even the inexperienced baker. 

Thank you, Joanne! You are amazing and a true inspiration! 

Shauna Granit

Flour's Famous Banana Bread!

Source: Flour - Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe

By: Joanne Chang with Christie Matheson

Page 66 is where this amazing recipe can be found

Here is the book that I encourage you, my readers to run NOT walk to purchase wherever you can find it. Amazon is always a reliable source as well.

Instead of one loaf, this time I decided to make two smaller loaves - one for home and one for sharing. Hmmm, who will get the other loaf? I think I have some ideas!

One of my MANY favorite aspects of Joanne's recipes is that they are all made with ingredients that you likely already have in your house with one exception. The Banana Bread recipe itself states that you can use creme fraiche or sour cream. Go with the creme fraiche! Trust me on this one! Plus you'll find other uses for it for what remains in the container! 

And for the final picture - a shot of what the inside of this banana bread looks like.  A moist tender crumb with pecans studded throughout. (The recipe calls for Walnuts, but I didn't have any, so Pecans it is tonight!)