Banana Bread : Scrum-diddly-umptious

Banana Bread is probably my favorite breakfast bread (pumpkin is a close runner up) and it is so easy to make I don't know why we don't have it more often. Actually, I do know... it's because my husband and I love bananas so much we can't leave them in the fruit bowl long enough to get spotty and perfect for bread. Only when I buy bananas on sale (already really ripe) do I set them aside for bread. It just so happens I found a good deal at Whole Foods on nice organic bananas, and decided to buy enough to eat and keep for bread making.

I have been making banana bread for a long time now. It is one of the first quick breads I learned to make and one of the few I have developed over time to call my own. In high school, students and parents submitted recipes to make a cookbook, and my mom encouraged my sister and I to add something. Rather than adding a family recipe, I wanted something I invented, oh the little aspiring chef I was. So, I did my best to alter a recipe from the ancient Better Homes and Gardens cookbook my mom had to something I liked and could basically call my own. The recipe has changed a little since then, hopefully for the better. It has a great soft texture and is not as dense as some. It is flaky and moist and beautifully golden with a nice crack across the top. I think it is best with a layer of chopped walnuts on top (or mixed in depending on my mood).

I do enjoy making it and could probably do it from memory if in dire need! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do (and Michael too).

Banana Bread

2C flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 C butter

1/4 C shortening

1/2 C sugar 2 eggs 4 medium overripe mashed bananas dash vanilla 1 T milk

1/2 C chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350* and spray a 9x5" loaf pan. Set pan on an insulated baking sheet or two stacked together to prevent the bottom of the bread from browning too much. Mix the dry ingredients and set aside. Cream butter and shortening together for two minutes until fluffy. Add in the sugar and continue beating, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Add in eggs one at a time allowing a minute between. Add half the dry ingredients, half bananas, mix until moist, then add the rest of the flour followed by the bananas. Pour in a little vanilla and the milk. Batter will be sticky. If you want add in your nuts do so now (chocolate chips are also good) and pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 45 mins at 350*. If the loaf has reached golden brown at this point add a foil tent to the top and vent. Continue baking about 10 more minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick comes out fairly clean (it is ok if it has a little residue but not globs because it will continue to cook while cooling). Let it sit in the pan for about 15 minutes, invert and let cool on rack right side up. Slice and serve!