Basic banana bread

A simple banana bread recipe is a quick way to make a new kitchen smell like home.

I've been settling into a new family life that includes navigating the meal preferences of a 13-year-old girl and a 7-year-old boy. It ain’t easy being bland!

Banana bread was one of the first things I made for the new fam, adding my usual preference for chocolate chips and walnuts. Days went by before I realized that I was really the only one who was eating the baked treat. After a little prodding I discovered that the kids weren’t too keen on the nuts, and the hubby not too keen on the chocolate chips.

So I’m posting this recipe from Simply Recipes for handy reference because we always seem to have bananas sprouting brown giraffe spots. I think the melted butter is the secret ingredient in this recipe that’s so simple, you only need one bowl to mix it all up. Just as you finish mixing the batter the oven will finish preheating and be all ready for you to slide in the loaf pan.

You can add in nuts or chocolate chips easily to this recipe, or even swap out half the white flour for whole wheat flour.

Basic banana bread
From Simply Recipes

2 to 3 very ripe bananas, peeled
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of kosher salt
3/4 cup sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F  and grease a 4- x 8-inch loaf pan.

2.  In a medium bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork until the lumps are mostly gone. Stir the melted butter in with the mashed bananas.

3. Mix in the baking soda and pinch of salt. Then stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour. Stir until completely combined.

4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour at 350 degrees F., or until a butter knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and cool completely on a wire rack. Gently remove the cooled loaf  from the pan. Slice and serve.

Related post on Kitchen Report: Chocolate chip banana bread