I only like to eat bananas when they're green. If they're not firm, I like them blended up with milk and cinnamon, like a licuado from my Mexico City days. When they get past licuado stage, it's time for banana bread.
This is the 2nd or 3rd loaf I've made from the Bon Appetit Cookbook, I checked out from the library. It's the perfect recipe. Super quick and easy. The bread is sweet, but not too sweet and always comes out moist and perfectly formed. It even tastes better after a few days. The recipe makes 2 loafs:
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup solid vegetable shortening ( I use butter.... ymmmmm butter)
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1/2 c buttermilk
3 cups mashed very ripe bananas (about 6)
1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350F. Butter & flour 2 9x5x3" metal loaf pans. Mix flour, baking soda & salt & set aside. Beat sugar, shortening (or butter), and vanilla in large bowel ( I use my Kitchen Aide mixer). Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well in between. Mix in flour alternately with buttermilk in 2 additions each. Stir in mashed bananas & nuts and divide batter between prepared pans.
Bake until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool loaves completely in pans on rack. Remove from pans. Wrap loaves tightly in foil & store at room temperature at least 1 day and up to 3.
Yea... I've gone as far as 5 days, but I'm wild like that.
