One of my coworkers had a banana tree that made more bananas than she could imagine using so she brought in a giant bunch for everyone at work. They were adorable little bananas, but very green. I patiently babysat my bunch every day, turning them, talking to them… just encouraging them to ripen. Then I blinked and they were brown… poo! What’s a girl to do? Well, banana bread, of course! So here’s my favorite recipe for banana bread, slightly adapted from the recipe in Joy of Cooking. This recipe is different than most banana breads as it has butter instead of vegetable oil. Its fantastic… not quite as moist as your usual banana bread, but the flavor is very very nice.

For all you photo geeks out there, these images were taken with a Lensbaby. That is what gives it the really cool selective focus effect.

Banana Bread Recipe

1 1/3 c all purpose flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
5 tbsp butter (room temp)
2/3 c sugar
2 large eggs (slightly beaten, room temp)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 c coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (or almonds)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place the rack in the center of the oven. Grease a 6 cup (8 1/2 X 4 1/2 inch) loaf pan.

2. Whisk together the flour, salt, soda and powder and set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on high speed until light and fluffy.

3. Beat in the flour mixture on low speed until well blended and the consistency of brown sugar. Gradually beat in the eggs and vanilla.

4. Fold in the mashed banana and chopped nuts, until just combined.

5. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Let cool in th pan or a rack for 5 to 10 minutes before unmolding to completely on a rack.

Makes 8 Servings

Note: If your eggs are not at room temperature, place them (before cracked, of course) in a bowl of lukewarm water for a few minutes. The butter can be microwaved for about 10 seconds to soften.