Banana Bread

With the slew of foodie/recipe-yee themed movies/blogs/articles/books that are inundating the planet, I thought it would be fun to join the bandwagon.

I have decided to share with you all my very special banana bread recipe – a recipe that is so fool-proof, so quick, so edible that can con a wolf into abject humility (I don’t know why I wrote that. It had sounded so cool when I thought of it), and so yummy that your in-laws will hand of the diamond heirlooms. Trust me, its that good. This recipe is  my pot-luck standard: continually requested and easily delivered.

So, ’nuff said. Onto my incomparable recipe! You will need eggs, unsalted butter, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and bananas. You can add in the walnuts if you want – I don’t.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 81/2 x 41/2 inch loaf pan.

Now for the fun stuff:

Mix together in your main, big mixing bowl
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon baking powder

In another bowl, beat for about 2 minutes
5 1/3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup sugar
Keep beating until the color is lightened and thoroughly mixed. Note: I’m sure there are a lot of you that might be tempted to skimp on the sugar. While I don’t know the repercussions on the baking procedure (remember in baking measurements matter), I will say that it isn’t as sugary as you’d think; the bananas also add a large amount of sweetness. Use this amount first before deciding on your sugar quantity.

Add the sugar mixture to the flour until well blended, and then
Add in 2 large eggs, already beaten. Blend.
Fold in 1 cup mashed ripe bananas, approximately 2.
(Optional: ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans).

Combine everything.

Scrape the batter into the loaf pan and make it is spread evenly; I gently bang the pan against the kitchen counter to help level it a little. Bake it for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Once done, let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes then dig in!

Bon appétit!

-manals