Banana Nut Bread

Lately I had a hankering for banana nut bread! Yum! So I went to my handy dandy and most cherished cook book - Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book, the red plaid cover. If you yourself have been fortunate enough to this book then you'll be even more delighted that you're just a few pages away from sheer joy. If you open to the Bread section, you'll notice the Favorite Banana Bread recipe on page 130. This is the recipe I used for my banana nut bread.

I realize that not everyone may have this cookbook so I'll share with you this particular recipe:
Prep Time: 25 minutes        Bake Time: 55 minutes
Oven Setting: 350 degrees Fahrenheit  
Makes: 1 loaf (16 slices)
Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg 
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (5 medium)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine



Lumpy Banana Nut Bread Batter

• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Steps:

1.  Preheat the over to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of one 9x5x3 inch loaf pan; set aside. In a large bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Make a well in center of flour mixture; set aside. 
2. In a medium bowl combine eggs, mashed bananas, sugar, and oil. Add egg mixture all at once to flour mixture. Stir just enough until moistened (batter should be lumpy). Fold in walnuts. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan. (See photo)
3. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center come out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan. Cool completely on rack. Wrap, store overnight before slicing. 

Yeah I didn't follow that last part. As soon as it cooled down from the oven, I sliced and lathered on with butter a piece for me and a piece for my father-in-law. Wholly goodness. Yum. Try it!