Banana Buttermilk Bread

Banana Bread!

The story behind this is that I had a set of ingredients I wanted to use to make banana bread, and I wasn't about to let a little thing like "I hadn't heard of it made like that before" stop me. I never do (sometimes to my detriment). [example: I have some cottage cheese - I wonder if I can make my next batch of banana bread with that instead of butter? Hmm...]

This list included both buttermilk (that I had leftover from the Irish Soda Bread) and lemon juice but excluded brown sugar because I just didn't have any on hand. Who knew there were so many banana bread recipes out there that call for brown sugar in banana bread?

So I searched high and low and finally came upon a solid recipe that had everything I wanted and nothing I didn't. Perfecto!

What aroma, what splendid flavor wafted through the air, kissing our tongues, toying with us for the hour it cooked in the oven. And then the moment arrived. At long last...and oh! What sweet seduction, what joy, rapture, what fluffy texture. The end result was everything I craved and more.

If you have some extra ripe bananas, I dare you to give this recipe a shot - double dog dare you even. Enjoy!

Ingredients

2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
2 eggs, beaten
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 large extra ripe bananas)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
optional: 1/2 cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Grease (I used a tad of butter) a 9x5 loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, cream the sugar and butter until smooth.
3. Add beaten eggs, lemon juice, and buttermilk and stir to incorporate.
4. Stir the banana mash into the wet mixture and mix well.
5. In a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
7. Gradually add to the wet mixture in small amounts until fully incorporated. Do not overmix.
8. Place the banana bread batter in a greased baking pan and bake for 1 hour.

**To test for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center of the loaf 5 minutes before baking time is over. When the toothpick comes out clean, the bread is done. You can also visually check if the bread is done by looking for a nice medium brown color and also checking that the banana bread has pulled away from the edges of the baking pan.

Courtesy of Breakfast and Brunch Recipes