Banana Nut Bread

So, this past weekend, I made 2 different kinds of banana jams. I did a bananas foster type jam and a banana nut bread butter. They both came out yummy and you can check them out on my other blog…the link is over to the right. I lucked out when I went to the store for the bananas and found that half the display was filled with the black banded bananas which means they are fully ripe and need to be used in a day or so. They may have a bruise or two but the price can’t be beat. They are almost half the cost of the greener, under ripened ones. I went ahead and bought a few more than I actually needed, just in case some of them were too bruised to use after I peeled them. Turns out they were all perfectly ripe and ready to be used the next morning and not one was unusable. I realized I had about 5 medium to large sized ones left after I was finished with the jams and they needed to be used soon. I was too tired to make my 3^rd batch of jam on Saturday, which was going to be a spicy, ancho chili, apple butter, so I decided to wait till Sunday to make that and I would also make a loaf of my homemade banana bread to use up the bananas. The banana nut bread butter recipe had called for diced walnuts and I had a half cup of them left over.

I typically make just banana bread loaves but since I had the walnuts, I decided to add them this time. Here’s the recipe, as I made it on Sunday.

Banana Nut Bread

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup white sugar

2 lightly beaten eggs

5 medium bananas, mashed

¼ cup butter, melted

½ cup diced walnuts

Grease and flour (I use a baking spray with flour added) one standard loaf pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together the flour, soda, salt and sugar. Mix in the lightly beaten eggs and mashed bananas. Slowly stir in the melted butter and walnuts until just blended. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for approximately 1 hour 5 minutes at 350 degrees or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let it cool, completely, in the pan then remove it and wrap it in foil.

This loaf came out better than ever before! I don’t know if it was the walnuts or that I used 5 bananas this time (I usually use 3 or 4) or that I let it cool completely in the pan, but whatever it was it is GREAT! I enjoyed a piece earlier with a light layer of whipped cream cheese spread top of it. I wonder what the banana nut bread butter would taste like on top of the banana nut bread??? Hummm, I’ll have to try that for breakfast.

I have always loved banana bread and even requested it as my birthday cake one year for a childhood birthday party, My friends made fun of me for not having a real cake that year, but it didn’t matter, I had my favorite…my Grannie Winchester’s banana bread. Her sister, Aunt Etta (pronounced Aint Etter) was known for making the best in the family, but I always thought Grannie’s was best, no matter what the rest said. This loaf made me think of Grannie and all the times we shared in her kitchen…I miss her so much!

I hope you enjoy this one as much as I am.