* You can use canned or homemade pumpkin or butternut squash mash or purée. Do not use canned pumpkin pie filling, which is already sweetened and spiced and will not work well in this recipe. Homemade purée is best made from microwaved or steamed squash or pumpkin (roasted squash or pumpkin has less moisture and will mess up the recipe ratios).

** Use a store-bought blend, or make your own simple version for this recipe: 1 Tbsp [6 g] cinnamon, 1 tsp [2 g] ginger, ¼ tsp [0.5 g] nutmeg, ¼ tsp [0.5 g] cloves. 

*** To make muffins instead of a loaf, place 9 muffin liners in a muffin tin (homemade parchment liners or store-bought paper ones). If using parchment ones, drizzle them lightly with olive oil. 

Divide the batter evenly among the 9 liners, then top each with a ½-inch-thick [13 mm] banana slice. Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

**** If you want to save on dishes, place a fine-mesh sieve over a paper towel and add the flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the sieve. Sift the dry ingredients directly onto the wet ingredients (and don’t forget the dust that filtered onto the paper towel too).

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Note on the pan size: This recipe has never overflowed during testing and it should not overflow on you if you use a standard 8 x 4 inch pan. But if yours does overflow, something has gone wrong with your ingredient ratios, oven temperature, or pan depth. If you’re making this for the first time and worried it might overflow, you can place a baking sheet on the rack one level below the loaf pan.