Banana Bread

Banana Bread

My favorite Banana Bread recipe.

I grew up eating banana bread that my grandmother made.  It was wonderful to come home from school on a cold afternoon, throw open the door and be hit with the aroma of banana bread.  Hot, delicious banana bread.  My mouth waters even now, almost 60 years later when I remember the smells, the taste and the love she baked into each loaf.  She always made sure I got the first slice since she needed someone to make sure it was okay.  (I took my taste-test job very seriously.)

As I slathered butter over my test slice, watching it melt into the bread, I would pick up the bread and inspect each angle.  After the first bite, I would smile at Grandma and tell her it was pretty good, but I thought I would need another piece to make sure.  She always laughed and said, “after dinner.  Rarely did my slice last long enough for all of the butter to melt before I had already downed half the slice.  I think she loved our game as much as I did.

Unfortunately, I never got a copy of her recipe.  I lost her and most of the things I held dear when a fire destroyed most of her house in the early 1980’s.

I finally found a recipe that I believe was close to hers after some research (making different recipes and eating banana bread).

** Note:  I love this recipe with the pineapple, but if you or someone in your family is allergic to pineapple, you can substitute a 15-ounce can of pears instead.  Either way, it is moist and yummy – especially warm with butter on top.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

1 tsp baking soda

2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups mashed ripe bananas

1 (8-ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained **

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Let’s Make it

Combine first 5 ingredients; stir in pecans. Combine

remaining ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring

just until dry ingredients are moistened.

Spoon batter into 2 greased and floured 8½- x 4½- x 3-inch

loafpans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes

or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Cool in pans 10 minutes; remove from pans, and let cool on

wire racks.  Yield:  2 loaves.

Final Steps

Eat and enjoy!!

Leave me comments if you like.  Let me know if you have a better recipe.  I’m always ready to try banana bread!  Yum.