Banana Bread

I'm a banana bread purist. I like straight up banana bread, without chocolate chips or anything else that takes away from the banana-ness. I found this recipe on Mon Appetit and I love the story about how she found her mom's recipe from the 50's on a handwritten note that had fallen behind her fridge. Simple, old-school recipe. So good.


Banana Bread
Recipe and picture from http://www.monappetit.com/

Makes 1 loaf.

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
3 large ripe bananas, mashed
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the mashed banana.
Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Stir this into the wet ingredients, then stir in the buttermilk and walnuts.
Spoon the batter into a well greased 9-inch loaf pan and bake at 350 F until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly, then turn the loaf out onto a wire rack to cool completely.