THE banana bread

This is a throwback to my nanny days. A tried and true recipe loved by my top 5 food critics, 4 of them being under the age of 7 currently.

06/25/08

You will need:

3/4 stick of butter
1/4 c. brown sugar, somewhat packed
4 ripe bananas (the spottier, the better), smashed into bits. I use a fork in a measuring cup. The kids are easily amused by this, for whatever reason. I usually give this task to children.
1 (3.5oz) container of Gerber Banana Baby Food (you can buy them in a 2 pack travel pack, not jar - double the recipe, or save some forever. The food has a shelf life of 39 years or so.)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch (1/8 tsp.) of salt
2 eggs

you could add cinnamon. I didn't.

Preheat oven to 350 F.

Melt the butter.
With a spoon or whisk (nothing fancy), mix the butter with the sugar until well blended.
Stir in the baby food, salt, and baking soda.
Add the flour, about 1/2 cup at a time.
When all the flour is mixed in, fold in the eggs, then the bananas.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake for about 50 minutes. You can try inserting a toothpick, but given the banana content, it may come out a bit wet. Just watch it, and make sure it doesn't get too dry (the top should spring back when pushed on gently).

Makes one perfectly banana-y loaf.

Walnuts would be an A+ add to this. Due to lack of walnuts at work, I skipped out on those.

If this lasts longer than 24 hours, I would refrigerate it.


You can add in grated zucchini for an added health benefit. Replace equal parts banana with zucchini. The kids will never ever know.