Banana Bread

I can eat banana bread more frequently than I can bananas themselves.  I could eat few slices a day every day while only one banana every other day.  It's been a few months since I made some but had the ripe bananas from my March Shakeology Challenge.  Austin loves doing all the prep work and of course eating the banana bread.  Benny doesn't like bananas but loves banana bread!  I adopted this recipe from the 125th Anniversary Edition of The Good Housekeeping Cookbook.

Makes 1 Loaf, 16 Slices, 5PP

Ingredients

2 Cups Flour

3/4 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 Cup Margerine (or butter)

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

4 Ripe Bananas (Although I think I had 6 this time)

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Cinnamon (to taste)

This is how the cookbook says to do it.

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Evenly grease your 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, with a wire whisk, stir flour, baking soda, and salt.
3. In a large bowl, with a mixer at medium speed, beat margarine and sugars until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs, one at a time.  Reduce speed to low; alternately add flour and banana mixtures, beginning and ending with flour mixtures, occasionally scraping the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Beat just until blended.
4. Pour patter into prepared pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 1 hour).  Cool loaf pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

This is how we do it.

1. Preheat oven to 325.  Evenly grease your 8-1/2" x 4-1/2" loaf pan.
2. In the bowl with a mixer at the first speed, add each ingredient one at a time (usually bananas first), occasionally scraping the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula.  Beat just until blended.
3. Pour patter into prepared pan.  Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean (about 1 hour).  Cool loaf pan on wire rack 10 minutes; remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

Doesn't that make things simpler?  I never grasped the whole keeping the dry and wet ingredients separate.  To me it's a waste of time and dishes! LOL  Everything still turns out wonderful and people come back for more.

I've had the banana bread warmed with additional margarine.  I've spread peanut butter on a slice.  Austin has put Nutella on his before.  This time I tried something different - a slice of pineapple.  It wasn't bad.  Would you eat your banana bread plain or top it with something?

I'm sure that there are different things you can do to make a healthier banana bread.  The recipe I saw on Weight Watchers used whole wheat flour but it only saved 1PP.  So I'm happy to have that extra PP.  It's something everyone likes so why mess with a good thing?

Linking up with Jill for Fitness Health & Happiness and Banana Bread Day on February 23rd.