Warm Up with some Yummy Bread

I love Fall days, but they can be cold and damp if Mother Nature is being grumpy! One of the best ways to warm up and put a smile on your family or friends' faces is to serve fresh-from-the-oven banana bread. Yummy!

 

One of my fave recipes is the time-honored classic: Betty Crocker's Banana Bread. This recipe was in Mom's Betty Crocker cookbook and in my newer one. This simple recipe is a culinary delight.

 

Betty Crocker's Banana Bread

 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened (I always substitute margarine for the butter.)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)

1/2 cup buttermilk (see my note below if you don't have buttermilk)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups Gold Medal™ All-Purpose Flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped nuts, optional (Black walnuts are fantastic in this bread! Hickory nuts are also wonderful. Or use English walnuts from the grocery store.)

 Steps:

Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in the center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of two 8"x4"x3" loaf pans or one 9"x5"x3" loaf pan. (You can also divide the batter between 3 mini loaf pans that are approximately 5.5"x3".)

Mix sugar and butter in a large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. (Do not overmix!) Spoon into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves for about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf for about 1 1/4 hours, 3 mini loaf pans for about 25 to 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days or refrigerate for up to 10 days.

 

My hungry family rarely lets the bread cool before devouring it! For extra indulgence, spread some sweet butter on the hot, fresh bread!

 

Want to make your banana bread more decadent? Add chocolate or cinnamon chips to the batter! Or toss in some raisins, dried cranberries, or chopped dates to the batter. Dried cherries from Door County Wisconsin are a tasty treat, too!

 

I rarely have buttermilk on hand so I use the old standby substitution. Mix 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar (white or cider vinegar works) into 1/2 cup milk and let it sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes. Some people use other methods, such as mixing cream of tartar with milk, yogurt with milk, or sour cream with milk. Please leave us a note in the comment section to share your favorite buttermilk substitute.

 

Clean-up is more fun with a pretty dishcloth! Lorena knits these colorful cotton dishcloths. Find this one and others at Terrie's Studio on Etsy.