Holiday Recipe: Banana Bread

The Best Banana Bread

When I was a little girl, I would always “help” my mom bake. By “help,” I mean I would pour in the milk, sugar, and eggs, and then get distracted by something else, always coming back just in time to taste test. The older I got, the more I would help, until eventually, I was making goodies on my own. I still loved to bake with my mom, and work on new recipes. This melt-in-your-mouth banana heaven sweetness, that we call the Best Banana Bread, is a year’s long process to recipe perfection… but we finally made it! We make this banana bread quite often. So much so, that it’s famous with friends and family.

It’s too good not to share, and since we know you’ll want it to be perfect, here are some “pro” tips:

1. Use good quality butter, like Kerrygold. 2. Make sure your bananas are ripe but not complete mush. 3. Don’t be exact on the sugar, it’s perfectly okay to have your cup slightly overflowing 4. Use stoneware loaf pans!!!

Bonus tip: If you have ripe bananas but aren’t ready to make banana bread, that’s okay, just peel them, pop them in a ziplock bag and freeze them!

Ingredients:

1 stick (1/2 cup) Butter 2 Large Eggs 2 cups + ¼ cup Sugar 1 cup Milk 1 teaspoon Vanilla 1 teaspoon Baking Soda 2 teaspoons Baking Powder 3 cups Flour 3 mashed bananas (ripe)

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, and baking powder, and set aside. Cream together butter, eggs, 2 cups sugar (save ¼ cup for later), and vanilla. Slowly add in milk and mix on medium speed until mixture is mostly smooth. While keeping the mixer on low, slowly add in dry ingredients until well incorporated, then mix on medium high for one minute. Smash 3 ripe bananas then add to the mixture and mix on medium high for 1 minute. Fill mixture into 2 8- or 9-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle remaining sugar over the top of each loaf. Bake on 350℉ for 45 minutes to 1 hour until center is no longer gooey. Cool and enjoy!

Article by Ella Huck