Banana Bread

Banana Bread is a must in our family. This recipe is simple, moist and delicious. A great accompaniment to coffee or a glass of milk.

This recipe calls for nuts but my family is not keen on nuts so I substituted with chocolate chips.

6 tablespoons unsalted butter at room tempurature, plus extra for greasing

1 cup sugar

2 or 3 very ripe bananas (about 1 1 1/2 cups) mashed**

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, pecans or hazelnuts (I used chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In a heavy-duty fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy about 1 minute. Add the bananas and eggs and beat until smooth. Add the buttermilk and beat until just combined.

In a bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, salt and nuts (chocolate chips). Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and beat just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan. It should be no more than two-thirds full. Bake intil the loaf is dark golden brown and dry to the touch and the edges pull away from the pan sides 55-60 minutes. A cake tester inserted into the center should come our clean. Let rest in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and let cool completely. Cut into thick slices to serve.

** when bananas become ripe and nobody wants it, I peel the banana, place it in a ziplock bag and freeze until I need it for baking.