Recipe(tried): Best Banana Bread

Hi Nancy:

I always thought I did not like banana bread - I felt like you did, that it was always too dry. But it seems I inevitably end up with ripe bananas I can not force myself to throw away. I've tried several different recipes for "banana cake" I've gotten from cooking sites, but none that I really cared for. Two days ago, I saw the following recipe and thought, "what the heck, I'll give it a try." It is my favorite banana bread I've ever eaten, and my husband loves it. It is VERY moist. It doesn't call for nuts, which I thought was odd, but I decided to not add any, and I think I really like it this way better. This excellent recipe comes from "Beat This!" cookbook by Ann Hodgman. She believes her recipes are the best, and she works on each one to perfect it. I highly recommend this cookbook as she writes with great humor and it's fun to read even if you don't cook anything. She also has a newer book out "Beat That" and it's just as entertaining. Everything I've cooked from her books has been a success.

Best Banana Bread
2 cups sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
6 very ripe medium bananas
4 large eggs, well beaten
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2-1/2 cups cake flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
Preheat oven to 350. Butter two 9x5 inch loaf pans.

Cream sugar and butter until light and whipped-creamy. Add the bananas, eggs, lemon juice and orange rind; beat until uniformly blended. It may take a while to get rid of the banana lumps.

Sift together the dry ingredients and fold lightly but thoroughly into the banana mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the loaves are firm in the middle and the edges begin to pull away from the pans.

Cool the loaves on racks for 1/2 hour before you remove them from the pans.

Makes 2 loaves. This bread freezes very well.


Note: I halved this recipe and made one loaf with no problem. Also, I used all-purpose flour, and I am ashamed to admit, I lazily did not sift it. Still turned out great. And while I'm confessing, I must add that I had four bananas, not three and so I added the extra one also - tried to compensate with a little extra flour. Still great. It must be a very forgiving recipe. (It's probably really wonderful cooked per directions!!)