Banana Bread

Do you ever feel as if you only enjoy a fruit when it's in its straight from the grocery store form? As in, you love the fruit as it is, but you just don't seem to like it when it's in any kind of dessert or baked good? Well, maybe not, but I certainly feel that way about a couple of fruits, and one of which is banana. I love bananas as is, but things like banana cream pie, banana pudding, even the banana/peanut butter combo, I'm just not a fan. Though, I do have a couple exceptions. One of them is Banoffee Pie. The other is banana bread...THIS banana bread. I've tried banana bread in the past, but for some reason, they just didn't do it for me. And so I became convinced that I just didn't like the stuff. But one day I had a couple of super ripe bananas laying around that needed to be used, and came across this recipe on Diana's Desserts and decided to give it a go. And...it's fantastic!

I think what I love about this banana bread is that it doesn't have a super strong banana flavor to it that always seemed to put me off of other banana breads I tried. Who knows? For all I know, the ones I've tasted in the past could have had some artificial or even pure banana extract added to them, and I just wasn't a fan. This bread also has cinnamon added to it, which is, in my opinion, such a great compliment. It is also incredibly moist, coming from not only the bananas, but from buttermilk and applesauce to give it a triple boost of moistness. It's perfectly sweet, and even better the next day after the flavors get a chance to mingle and harmonize and is the perfect addition to morning coffee or a hot cup of tea. All in all, I must say brava. It was enough to convert me and my finickiness, so I'd definitely say to give this bread a try.

Super ripe bananas. At one point, I was worried they might be too far gone, but they were just fine. :)

Buttermilk Banana Bread (From Diana's Desserts)
This recipe is halved in order to make one 9x5 inch loaf. If you'd like to make both loaves, you can double the recipe, or visit Diana's post here.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used a little more to make up for the fact that I didn't include the other spices)
• 1/16 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I omitted. You can just eyeball this by filling your 1/8 teaspoon half full.)
• 1/16 teaspoon ground ginger (Again, I omitted, and just eyeball it.)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark), firmly packed
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter OR 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I always use vegetable oil)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup fresh buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup applesauce (You can use sweetened or unsweetened. I've used both in the past and find that it makes no difference.)
• 1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped (optional) (I don't like nuts in bread, so I always omit)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 inch loaf pan (or a 9x5) with nonstick cooking spray and, if desired, line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper; spray parchment paper also. (I sprayed mine with nonstick cooking spray and then dusted with flour.)
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and both sugars. Mix thoroughly; set aside.
3. In a medium size mixing bowl, mix together the melted butter (or oil), the lightly beaten eggs, the buttermilk, and the vanilla. Stir into the flour and mix just until combined. Do NOT overmix. Fold in the bananas, applesauce, and the chopped nuts, if using.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out dry. Transfer loaf to a cooling rack and let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then invert the loaf onto the rack to let cool completely.

**Note: This bread keeps quite well tightly wrapped in plastic wrap for up to five days at room temperature or 3 months in the freezer. Can also be stored in the refrigerator if necessary.

Oh, and also. This banana bread recipe can easily be turned into muffins, if you so wish. That's actually what I usually make this recipe as. Just increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake for about 20 minutes and voila! =)