COOK: The Best Banana Bread

Say that three times fast!

Quick breads are probably one of the easiest things to bake, they are easy, delicious, and make great gifts!

For years I always used the same banana bread recipe my mother had used, from the Betty Crocker Cookbook.  One day I had over ripe bananas and had promised the kiddos banana bread, only to realize I didn't have enough milk, and of course it was nasty and snowing outside and I didn't feel like packing the kiddos into their car seats just to go get milk.  Having made other quick breads for years I figured I could probably figure something out, and on that day, about 6 years, ago the best banana bread was born!

Berea has always enjoyed helping me cook and bake, and now if I have bananas in the house she usually asks if she can make the banana bread, she also really enjoys making odd faces when I try to take pictures also!

The Best Banana Bread

Ingredients:

4-5 Bananas (over ripe is easiest, but any kind works)

1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (melted)

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 Egg (slightly beaten)

2 teaspoons Vanilla

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

Pinch of Salt

1 1/2 Cups Flour (You can use white, or wheat, or a mixture of both)

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease a 4" x 8" loaf pan.  (You can use three 3" x 6" pans instead, just make sure you check then loaves after about 40 minutes of baking.)

Put all of the bananas into a large mixing bowl and smash, I prefer to use a potato masher.  If you bananas were fresh mash longer, until little to no lumps show.  Pour in melted butter and mix with a wooden spoon.  Add sugar, egg (make sure the butter has cooled a bit, you don't want to end up with partially cooked egg!), vanilla, baking soda, and salt.  Mix well.

Add in flour and mix until everything is wet, and there aren't any large lumps.  

Note: You can add 1 cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips, I like adding almonds, KC prefers when I make it with chapped pecans.   The kiddos love chocolate chips. 

Pour into loaf pan, bake for 55 minutes.  Bread is done when a clean butter knife, inserted into the middle, comes out clean.  Let cool about 5 minutes and then flip onto a baking rack to cool.  

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