Classic Banana Bread

Classic banana bread. The quick bread that uses your leftover bananas. Over ripened fruit for the big snacking win.

I should start this post with a fun fact. I don’t like fruit. I hate the texture. I don’t like the sweetness. I am not a fruit person. I’m not sure why I don’t like fruit but I’m pretty sure I just didn’t have it much as a kid so I never developed a taste for it. Now it just creeps me out. Every now and then I try to taste things just in case my palate may have evolved – but I haven’t yet found a fruit I enjoy – unless just the skins of apples count.
I do love fruit flavors though. Strawberry ice cream, blueberry waffles, orange soda. All yums. I know, I know. They aren’t the real flavors, just sugary impostors. Hey, I’ll take it.

So today I made a classic banana bread. Bananas as bananas = ew. Bananas as warm bread with a little honey butter = amazing. Who could have guessed that one?

So here it is, folks.

Classic Banana Bread

Adapted from Myrecipes.com

• 2  cups  all-purpose flour
• 3/4  teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2  teaspoon  salt
• 1  cup  sugar
• 1/4  cup  butter, softened
• 2  large eggs
• 1 1/2  cups  mashed ripe banana (about 3 bananas)
• 1/3  cup  sour cream
• 1  teaspoon  vanilla extract
• Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a whisk.

Place sugar and butter in a large bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 1 minute). Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add banana, sour cream and vanilla; beat until blended. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until moist. Spoon batter into an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Another awesome banana bread recipe to try is my banana peanut butter swirl bread.

GARDEN UPDATE:

The garden hasn’t died yet (amazed!) but some of the previous plants have returned from the grave. The apparently very resilient cannas have dug their way up from whatever root I left behind, broken through the turf barrier and are over taking a small plant that I planted (no idea what its called. Its thin and tiny and has leaves – yes, I really do know nothing about gardening). I plan on wreaking some kind of revenge on these cannas when it stops raining. Seriously though, I am kind of impressed by them.

For right now though, let’s eat some classic banana bread. Warmed up and slathered with butter. Yum.