Sunday, February 28, 2010

Classic Banana Bread

I recently learned that John intentionally neglects the last couple bananas of the bunch in hopes that they'll over ripen and inspire me to make fresh banana bread. Lucky for him, I usually take the hint and do just that. There are thousands of banana bread recipes floating around out there but I still come back to the one we always had growing up. Its simple, always moist and tender on the inside and perfectly toasted and crunchy on the outside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream together in the mixer: 1 cup light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter (softened to room temperature) Next Add the following and mix until incorporated: 3 mashed bananas 2 eggs Into a separate small bowl: 4 tablespoons of butter milk 1 teaspoon baking soda Buttermilk and baking soda react to create a fluffy foam that serves as the leavening agent. Mix this into the batter gently and then add 1 1/2 cups sifted flour and a small pinch of cinnamon. (I like to use 3/4 white and 3/4 whole wheat flour. ) Mix the batter very gently until just incorporated and then add 1 tsp vanilla extract at the very end. Pour the batter into a buttered/floured loaf pan and bake for one hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove to cool on a wire rack until completely cooled. Last but very important...saw off a big piece of the end to eat warm. Yumm...

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