Really Good Banana Bread

[chachp]

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I was making banana bread this morning in a vintage KA mixer and took a couple of pics.  My Beloved is nuts about banana anything (as I think I have mentioned before</span><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">) and this is the banana bread recipe I make all the time.  It's really easy and really good.  The recipe does not call for nuts but I always add a couple of hands full of chopped pecans as he really likes them.</span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">I don't remember where I got this recipe but it come from somewhere on line.  It's a good one.</span>

 

<span style="font-size: 12pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Banana Bread</span></span>

 

<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Ingredients</span>

<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1/2 cup butter</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1 cup sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">2 eggs, beaten</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">4 bananas, finely crushed</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1 1/2 cups flour</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1 teaspoon baking soda</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1/2 teaspoon salt</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">1/2 teaspoon vanilla</span></li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Directions</span>

<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Cream together butter and sugar</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Add eggs and crushed bananas</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Combine well</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Sift together flour, soda and salt.  Add to creamed mixture</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Add Vanilla</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Pour into greased and floured loaf pan</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Bake at 350 degrees for 60 minutes</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: verdana,geneva;">Keeps well, refrigerated</span></li>
</ol>

 

[appnut]

I'd venture to guess that equals about one cup of mashed banana. 

 

[rp2813]

Four bananas sounds like a lot more than one cup's worth to me.  I guess it would depend on their size.  I'm not a fan of strong banana flavor in the bread anyway, and generally use whatever amount of old bananas I have available, with a two-cup limit. 

 

My experience has been that too much banana makes for a loaf that's soggy at the bottom.  I ended up adapting two recipes with varying quantities of ingredients and making my own hybrid recipe.

 

I also have found that the baking vessel's material can make a big difference.  A Corningware loaf pan tends to bake hotter than my thicker L.A. Pottery loaf pan from the '70s.  I never use a metal pan.  Just my preference.