SIMPLY BANANA BREAD

i was in desperate need to find a delicious recipe for banana bread. nothing is more decadent to me than a thick slice, warmed up, and served with a scoop of ice cream. as fate would have it, we were having a bake sale at work to raise money for st. jude's and there it was...a mini loaf of banana bread for $3. that first bite was full of banana flavor and it was perfectly moist. soon after, i had to track down this recipe...and, fittingly enough, it was at SIMPLY RECIPES. this is a no fuss, no electric mixer needed, bananas need not require over ripening kind of recipe and hopefully someday it will just come naturally to me.

BANANA BREAD RECIPE

posted by elise of simplyrecipes.com on june 15, 2006

• 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
• 1/3 c melted butter
• 1 c sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 c), but really who are we kidding...bring on the sugar!
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 t baking soda
• pinch of salt
• 1 1/2 c all-purpose flour

no need for a mixer for this recipe. preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). with a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large bowl. (future baby better not think this is going to happen for all foods...hehe)

mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. add the flour last, mix. pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan.

**for a little added deliciousness...i add shelled, halved walnuts. as you can see they are methodically placed on one-half of the batter, that's because the husband doesn't like the fabulous crunch of nuts in his foods, but i do! so, after i pour it in the loaf pan, i just sprinkle some walnuts and sort of mix just that side. the trick is remembering which side they're on once it's baked.

bake for 1 hour. cool on a rack. remove from pan and slice to serve.

my yummy tip: although most ovens do vary, try not to over bake...there's nothing worse than dry bread. the "stick a fork in it, it's done" method does not work, so i push down the top and check to see whether or not it springs back. it seems to be best way to keep the bread nice and moist! enjoy!