There is a saying about lemons; “When life gives you lemons, make
lemonade”. Well maybe there should be one for bananas as well - when
life gives you overripe bananas, make banana bread! At least that is
what I do.
I
can remember my Grandmother Mummie D’s banana bread always being the
best I ever had. She made it, my mother made it, and eventually I
started making it. I can remember not having the recipe one year, and
searching every banana bread recipe I could find and making them all,
but none held a candle to her banana bread. This is called a bread, and
it is a quick bread, but it is more like a cake in the taste and
texture.
It
was always perfectly sweet, had the perfect combination of bananas and
nuts, was never doughy tasting, and always filled the house with this
comfort aroma! I have made it for years now, and unlike most recipes I
have, I haven’t changed a thing and would never think to do so. There
is nothing that could make it any better than what it is. I
make it for holidays in small loaf pans so that I can share it with
neighbors and friends, or I make it just anytime that I have over ripe
bananas that need to be used. I even keep my over ripe bananas in the
freezer until I have enough of them to make some. By the way, over ripe
bananas freeze great. Just place them in a freezer bag and toss them in
the freezer. They will get very black and almost rotten looking, but
that is only on the outsde. The banana will thaw out and be just as
useable and good as the day you froze it.
I often wondered if this was a recipe passed down in the
family, which would explain why I could never find a copy in cookbooks
or even online, but sadly that is a secret she took with her when she
passed many years ago. I will always remember her as a wonderful cook,
a wonderful grandmother, and the epitome of the quintessential woman who
was always immaculately dressed, and whose etiquette and manners that
would put Emily Post to shame. She was the kind of woman rarely seen in
this day and age, and the type we should all try harder to be.
Check out Linda's Bread Making Hints:
Secrets to using the bread
machine, About
yeast in bread making,
Sourdough Starter, and
Quick
Breads.
Check out all of Linda's great
Bread Recipes
for your bread making.
Mumie D’s Banana
Nut Bread Recipe
Recipe Type:
Quick Bread,
Bananas
Yields: 1 loaf
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 60 min
Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1 1/2 cups mashed
bananas
, (preferably overripe)
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose
flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarse chopped nuts (I have always used pecans, but other nuts may be substituted)
Preparation:
Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
Prepare a standard loaf pan by rubbing the sides with shortening or use
a non-stick spray. Small loaf pans
can also be used without varying the time or temperature for cooking.
In
a large bowl, cream together sugar and vegetable shortening until
smooth. Add mashed bananas and eggs; beat until blended well with the
sugar and shortening.
In a medium-size bowl, combine
the flour, baking soda, and salt; mix well. Add this flour mixture to
the banana mixture and blend in thoroughly. Mix in the chopped nuts so
they are even throughout the batter.
Spoon into your prepared loaf pan or pans and place in the oven to cook.
Bake approximately 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center
comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on wire racks 10 minutes;
remove from pans.
It is easier to cut the bread when it is cool, but it
taste wonderful warm.
Makes approximately 10 slices of about 1-inch thick.
