Recipe: Best Ever Banana Nut Bread

I had this a recipe for a long time before I tried it. I tried lots of others. Most of them were good. (After all, who has ever had a bad slice of banana bread?). But they were all just ‘ordinary good’ and I am always on the lookout for that one special recipe. Then, one day I pulled this recipe out of my recipe clippings stash. The reason I had never tried it was because it called for buttermilk (and who keeps buttermilk in their refrigerator?). I happened to have a carton leftover from another recipe and I made this for the first time. The search was over. There was nothing ordinary about this banana bread. It was, and is, the best I have ever eaten.  I also like the fact that I don’t have to get out the big mixer to make it. It is easily stirred together by hand with a whisk and a wooden spoon. I usually double the recipe and make two loaves at a time. It freezes well. And here’s another tip: whenever you have that “last banana”— you know what I mean, the one that is too soft and turning black— instead of tossing it into the trash or compost pile, toss it into the freezer. Eventually, you’ll have a couple (or four) frozen bananas waiting to be thawed and turned into tasty loaves.

Best Ever Banana Nut Bread

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
•  1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (approximately 2)
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil.
• 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk.
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup chopped nuts

Stir together flour, sugar, soda, and salt until well blended.

In a second bowl, combine eggs, mashed bananas, vegetable oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add to the flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Do not beat. Stir in nuts.

Bake in a greased loaf pan at 325° for one hour 20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes one loaf.