Shirley's Recipes

Servings: 16

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened\\

1 cup chopped nuts, if desired

Name: Best-Ever Banana Bread
Key Ingredient: bananas
Preparation: mix, stir, bake
Cuisine: American
Source: Gold Medal Flour bag
Food Group: fruit, grain
Meals: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snack, picnic
Courses: side, dessert
Temperature: room
Effort: easy
Prep. Time: :15
Elapsed Time: 1:15
Servings: 16

1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened\\ 2 eggs
1-1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas, (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottom only of 2 (8 x 4-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9 x 5-inch) loaf pan.

In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and nuts just until moistened. Pour batter into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves 1 hour, 9-inch loaf 1-1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.