This recipe post is dedicated to the queen of breakfast fruits: the humble Cavendish banana of international acclaim. Having shed an old habit of accepting bananas only in their chilled form, I believe I am qualified to extol the countless redemptive qualities of nature’s ultimate handheld delight, no thanks to its appearance in my morning culinary experimentations.

In my younger years, despite my rejection of room-temperature bananas in their full, uncut form as nature intended, I welcomed a generous smattering of slices onto a slab of peanut buttered toast, forming what is surely the greatest quickest, easiest dish known to man.

As I got older and my palate expanded, I naturally started giving this favorite dish of mine a little more finesse with the other ingredients I had around. Namely, plain, tart yogurt kept coming out to play, nudging its way atop the richness of the peanut butter, accentuating the hint of tartness in the banana that had been begging for a spotlight. If anything’s coming between the PB and the B, you know Y. It’s all Greek to me, anyway. But plain yogurt works just as well, if only a little runny.

Here’s an honest sketch of the ingredients and methods for the original version of this instant classic!:

Classic PBYB Toast

A tart layer of yogurt and a fragrant sprinkle of cardamom are simple touches to bring out the the signature fruity, nutty richness embodied in peanut butter banana toast.

• 1 slice bread of choice (I’ve used everything from artisan sourdough to a pancake, but whole-grain or whole-wheat breads work best.)
• Peanut butter or nut butter of choice
• 1 just-ripe, room-temperature banana (You won’t use all of it, but you can try.)
• 1-2 dollops plain Greek yogurt (I like 2% here)
• Ground cardamom to taste
• Sea salt to taste (optional)
• Flax seeds, granola, pepitas, or Grape Nuts for added crunch (optional)

Toast bread to a deep brown–no black, unless you’re down with cardboard. While the toaster’s working, slice 3/4 of the banana on the bias, into coins, or using whatever trick you have up your sleeve. Leave the rest uncut until you decide how much can fit on the toast.

Spread your peanut butter on the toast while it’s still malleable. Follow with a thicker layer of yogurt, then cover the surface with your banana slices. Cut more of the banana as needed. Sprinkle cardamom on top, and finish with salt or your topping of choice for some added crunch. Don’t go too crazy, or else the star ingredients won’t shine as bright!

Best things about this recipe:

This ain’t just toast with yogurt on the side! This little recipe came about when I started out eating PBB toast with yogurt on the side. Believe it or not, the combination stuck around not for the sake of efficiency alone, but because of deliciousness. Somehow, toast as the vehicle for both the dry parts and the wet, yogurty banana components beats a spoon any day. With the right amount of yogurt, your toast will be structurally sound enough to impart a cohesive flavor profile that is unmistakably distinctive from just PBB with yogurt on the side.

The kitchen sink is your oyster. This toast is great to make with whatever little odds and ends you have on hand. Bananas at any stage of ripeness (at which you’d be willing to eat them, of course) and at any temperature work great on here. Which brings me to version 2 of my lovely creation:

PBYB Toast 2.0: The Banana Scramble version!

Ingredients

• Same as Version 1, but make nut butter optional this time
• Not so optional: butter – 1/2 a tablespoon at least
• Don’t forget cardamom and any other spices you’d like – cinnamon wouldn’t hurt.

Steps – we changing somethings up!:

• Heat a nonstick skillet over medium. Pan should be large enough to fit all slices of your banana.
• Start by slicing your banana, coin-style, into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
• Melt butter in the preheated pan – enough to coat the bottom.
• Drop in your banana slices and spread until no slices overlap. Let banans sizzle, adjusting heat as needed, until bottoms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle cardamom and other spices on top. Flip slices over and repeat, 3 to 5 minutes more. Add butter to the pan as needed.
• While the banana finishes cooking, prepare your toast.
• Transfer cooked banana onto the toast. If very soft, feel free to mash the fruit on top and spread it like a jam. Top with yogurt; if you like, add some berries or a mist of lemon zest.
• I find that peanut butter doesn’t contribute much to this cooked version, so I stick with just the yogurt but make sure to double down on the spices.

Happy toasting, smushing and slicing–and let me know how it goes!