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.

Click the photo to get the recipe

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.