Banana Bread Recipe

Banana bread is one of those things that people know of, have eaten, but aren't quite sure why it's so popular and even more confusing ...why it's so hard to get a good banana bread recipe!

We have found the answers to both those questions. Banana bread is a popular baked good partially out of necessity. Even with refrigeration advances, bananas are one of those fickle fruits that will still rot (quite quickly) no matter what you do. Not wanting to waste money and still edible fruit, but not wanting to eat 5 or more bananas at a time, thrifty bakers found ways to incorporate bananas into recipes that would not only taste great but would save them from throwing their hard earned money away through waste.

Finding a good banana bread recipe is like finding any good recipe. You either taste test the recipe by making it yourself, or you get a great one from someone else that they have made and loved. Banana bread recipes vary, which can sadly cause the end result to be dry, tasteless, mushy, or a host of other issues depending on the ingredients and methods used. Some recipes also call for a lot more effort than others, and we all know time can be short when dealing with rapidly ripening bananas that never seem to do their thing on the weekend (when we have time for the more elaborate recipes).

The following recipe is not one of those, and it isn't one of the dry or tasteless or generally bad recipes. Having been victims of bad banana bread, we found the recipe that was recommended by others that taste tested it with rave reviews. This banana bread recipe made it past the toughest critics of all, our mothers and grandmothers, and they loved it. We're sure you will too.

If you decide to try a more elaborate banana breadrecipe, the banana bread pudding by Emeril Lagasse is divine. It's a lot of work, but definitely worth it.

If you are still looking for an easier recipe and this one isn't quite right; try our banana nut bread recipe , our banana cake recipe, or our banana cookie recipe - there's still plenty of options for those brown bananas!

Banana Bread

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups sugar
7 large ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, slightly beaten
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking soda

Directions:

Makes two loaves.

1. Cream the butter and sugar. Blend in the bananas, vanilla and eggs.

2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.

3. Add to the banana mixture and mix until just combined. Pour into two greased 9x5 inch loaf pans.

4. Bake at 350F.  Check on the bread after 35 minutes (it may take up to 60 minutes). Banana bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Cool the banana bread in the pan for 10 minutes then cool completely on a wire rack.

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