Old-Fashioned Banana Bread

Bread making has been apart of my family for well... A long time, banana bread specifically. This bread is very easy to make, versatile, and delicious! Perfect for busy moms, or for ANY age/gender interested in baking.

I have purposefully chosen to illustrate how to make a very simple, traditional, banana bread recipe, so that you can make it your own.

You will need:

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 cup white sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup REAL mayonnaise

3 medium bananas, squished to your liking

Optional:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Step 1: Pre-heat Your Oven!

Before starting to assemble your ingredients, make sure that you pre-heat your oven to 350° F, or 176° C.

Step 2: Banana Time

As a side note:

Banana bread is only DELICIOUS if you use black (and I mean black), rotted bananas. If you do not have these bananas available, but still want to make the bread, simply put your bananas in the oven as it is in the process of pre-heating, with the peels on. Leave for 10-12 minutes, and viola! You have created your very own beautiful, rotten, bananas.

I have found that 2 large bananas, or 3 medium sized, provide excellent banana flavor to the bread.

Step 3: Liquid Gold

Unwrap your butter, place in a microwave-safe bowl or glass, and heat on high for about 30 seconds, or until the butter is noticeably melted. Take care not to heat your butter for too long, or it will become a liquid.

Step 4: Sugah Sugah

In a large mixing bowl, pour in the sugar and butter, mixing together until the ingredients resemble something along the lines of fluffy mashed-potatoes.

Step 5: Egg-centric

Crack open your eggs and vanilla, adding to your prepared bowl.

Step 6: Egg-centric Pt. 2

Mix ingredients together until fully blended.

Step 7: Flour Power

In another bowl, assemble your flower, baking soda, and salt, stirring with a teaspoon to mix up the ingredients.

Step 8: Opposites Attract

Next pour contents of "dry-mix" bowl into butter and sugar mixture incrementally, until both bowls have been combined, continually stirring in mixture until smooth.

Step 9: Mixin' Mixin'

TIP: Do not over-mix. Stop after all ingredients have just combined. You do not want dry bread!

Step 10: Banana Party

Take your "ripe" bananas out of the oven, and prepare along with your mayonnaise.

Step 11: THE. BEST. PART.

Add your mayonnaise and bananas to the mixture, making sure to:

1. Un-peel bananas (after they have cooled)

2. SQUISH bananas until they are nothing but pulp. I like to use my hands (to feel the squish) but you are also able to use tools if banana hands are not desirable to you.

3. I also recommend using real mayonnaise, as this gives the bread a subtle creamy taste, and more importantly, helps the bread retain its moisture while baking. You are also able to use sour cream, or applesauce, as healthier additions with the same quality.

Step 12: Fold the Laundry

Using a spatula, fold in the squished bananas and mayonnaise (and walnuts if added) into the sugar mixture. This is not an aggressive act! Fold as if you were folding your bedsheets, with care to get the wrinkles out.

Step 13: Oven Time

Pour contents of bowl into a greased 9x5 inch loaf pan, and place in your pre-heated oven.

Step 14: Oven Time Pt. 2

Set a timer for about 60 minutes (it's really hard to take a picture of a timer at 60 minutes exactly). Every oven, ingredient mixture, and baking dish, are different! Make sure to check on your bread to see how it fares.

Step 15: VIOLA!

And wallah! Now you have created delicious banana bread! When done the bread should have a risen top, and golden crust. If you insert a toothpick into the middle, and it comes out clean, this is also an indicator that it is done. Cool bread loaf in pan for ten minutes to set, and then it is ready to enjoy!