Bob Dylan's Mom's Banana Bread Was Always a Family Favorite

There are only two things I do with overly ripe bananas: throw them into a smoothie or turn them into banana bread. While I love a good smoothie, I prefer to enjoy my bananas as a sweet quick bread. I know I’m not alone because there are countless banana bread recipes on the internet. Every celebrity has a version, too. Or at least one their mom used to make, including famous singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. I had a few brown-speckled bananas on my counter, so I decided to give her recipe a try.

Beatty Zimmerman, Dylan’s mom, did a rare interview for a local newspaper back in 1999. In the article, she talks about everything from Dylan’s favorite food (chicken!) to how refreshingly “normal” Dylan was despite all of his fame. She also shared her family’s favorite recipe for banana bread, claiming, “All the children love Grandma’s Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf Bread. They all like it because it’s not too sweet.” That’s all I needed to hear. If Bob Dylan and his kids all liked this bread, it must be good.

How to Make Bob Dylan's Mom Beatty's Banana Bread

Zimmerman’s recipe was easy to make. I began with the basic step of creaming sugar and softened butter together. Next, I added two eggs, some sour cream, and two, ripe, mashed bananas. Once that was mixed, I stirred in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and of course, chocolate chips. I divided the batter among two 8-inch loaf pans and baked them until their tops were golden brown, which took about 50 minutes.

The bread was indeed delicious. It was moist and had a pleasant cake-like texture. Unlike Zimmerman’s grandchildren, I found the bread pretty sweet, especially with the chocolate chips. I didn’t mind it, but it leaned more “dessert” in my opinion because of it. Overall, I liked it, but honestly, the banana flavor is very subtle. I used two medium bananas, but perhaps next time I’ll try large bananas and add a splash of vanilla extract to amplify the flavor. It’s a classic recipe and definitely a good recipe for your overripe bananas.

Beatty Zimmerman’s Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf Bread Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 (6-ounce) package chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and line two 8-inch loaf pans with parchment paper.
2. Beat the sugar and butter together in the bottom of a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and beat well. Add the sour cream and ripe bananas; mix well.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add the dry mixture to the banana mixture, then fold in the chocolate chips.
4. Divide the batter between two prepared loaf pans. Bake for about 50 minutes (covering tops with foil at 40 minutes if getting dark). Turn the loaves out onto a cooling rack. Let cool before slicing.