best-ever banana bread
Tuesday, 06 March 2007
best-ever
banana bread
tori ritchie Tuesday Recipe

I learned this recipe in high school and I memorized the proportions so I could make it wherever I went—even to Rome, where I served it to an Italian language class full of European teenagers. They loved it.

makes 1 loaf
prep time: 10 minutes bake time: 50 minutes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
Pinch salt
1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 very ripe bananas, mashed with a fork
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or chocolate chips, optional
Preheat an oven to 350°. In a big bowl, stir together flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Add eggs, oil, and vanilla; stir until just moistened. Add mashed bananas and optional nuts or chocolate; stir until blended. Pour into a greased 9x4-inch loaf pan and bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Once cooled, it will keep, wrapped well, for 2 days.

TIP: For a lighter recipe, use a mix of 1/4 cup oil and 1/2 buttermilk instead of 3/4 cup oil.