Banana bread!
Just look at that golden brown top. I can almost smell the bananas.
In any case, I thought I'd actually share the recipe this time round, since this bread is a 100%, tried, tested & true old family recipe! (See, that previous post... I'm still ironing out the kinks but when I've got it just right I'll be sure to share it!)
And if you don't believe me that this is an old, handed-down, we-begged-my-great-aunt-to-please-please-share-it recipe, check this out:
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1 C Mashed bananas
1/3 C Shortening
1/2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
1 3/4 C Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
1/2 tsp Baking soda
1/2 tsp Salt
Mix together and bake at 350 degrees fr 40-45 minutes.
***
Aw, it doesn't look nearly as fun all typed out. I do want to mention that I don't quite follow this recipe exactly, but let's start at the beginning:
Mash the ever-loving heck outta your bananas! When I was younger I thought this was gross so I always made my Mom do it while I measured out the ingredients. Now that I'm living in my cosy little basement apartment and I have to do it all myself, I've actually found out that this is the most fun part!
The recipe says you want a cup but from my experience if you have a little more - up to a 1/4 cup extra -it actually makes for a moister, more flavorful bread. So with that put aside, it's time to cream together your shortening and sugar -
... Or you could be like me and use Becel instead. One day I switched it in because I didn't have shortening - and I liked the result so much I do it every time now! The basic difference is, with the shortening, you get a slightly denser, cakier texture and with the Becel it's a little lighter and breadier. So go with what sounds good to you!
You could even be super decadent and go for butter, y'all.
So cream the fat of your choice together with the sugar, THEN add the eggs.
Or you could get too excited because you want to try cracking eggs with one hand and taking a picture at the same time and forget to cream them together first. Oops. This isn't the end of the world though, it just means that getting the mixture smooth will take a little longer.
Yeah, this took a while. Little chunks of butter are okay by the way, but not a big clump like above. I know the original recipe says to just throw it all together and mix it but I find taking the extra little step of creaming the butter & sugar and then stirring in the eggs makes for a much more even batter.
Then it's time for the star of the show!
Oooooh yes lots of mushy bananas please! You know, it's funny, I hardly ever eat bananas any other way, but I get so excited about this bread!
Once the banana is all incorporated, throw the flour and other dry ingredients on and gently mix it until it just comes together. If you over-mix it it'll get tough!
That's just about perfect! (If I do say so myself...)
Into a nice, greased loaf pan. I just used PAM spray here for simplicity's sake. Also, I'm using a glass pan so I let it bake just a couple of extra minutes since it doesn't conduct heat as well as a metal pan.
Smoooooooth it out...
Let it bake...
Have a glass of cranberry juice! No, that's not in the recipe, but getting your nutrients is important and you've got to keep hydrated with all this slaving over a hot oven and all.
I'm going to have to bake something with cranberries now. Hmm.
Once your bread's out of the oven, let it cool a half hour or so. I usually flip mine out on a cutting board and let it cool upside down. Then it's ready to eat faster.
And can you blame me for speeding things along? Look at that bread. Beautiful. Just waiting for a bit of butter and a tall glass of milk.
And if you want to do something a bit extra special, add some mix-ins! I personally like to throw a 1/2 cup of walnuts in there, or maybe a cup of mini-chocolate chips. Whatever floats your boat!
My husband would probably put peanut butter chips in it. He'd put peanut butter in anything.
Well, that's all for today! I have some cookies to bake over the next couple of days, so if that goes well I'll tell y'all about that. Until next time!
