Banana Nut Bread - Overripe Banana Solution

Madam Monk likes bananas and there are always some in the house. Sometimes there are some that are too ripe for her and the best solution is banana bread. I've tried a bunch of recipes and the one from the old Betty Crocker cookbook is still the best and it's really simple. The good thing is that even if you are not ready to make the bread today or tomorrow you can freeze overripe bananas and just thaw them when you are ready to make the bread.

Banana Nut Bread

Preheat the oven to 350F and adjust the rack to the lower center of the oven.

You'll need at least 3 very ripe bananas for this recipe.

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup of mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup of chopped walnuts or pecans (both are nice but the walnuts have a stronger flavor)

cream the shortening and sugar and then add the eggs one at a time and mix until smooth. Gradually add the flour(with the other dry ingredients well mixed in) and mashed banana alternating between the two. Mix until smooth but not too long as it will develop the gluten in the flour as make the loaf tough. Fold in the nuts and then pour the mixture into a well greased standard bread pan. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes until a skewer or knife comes out clean. Be careful not to overcook it or it will be dry and 5 minutes too long will do it. Let it sit in pan on a cooling rack for a few minutes then turn it out on the rack and let it cool completely. It's really best if it sit wrapped overnight but you can sample it after it cools. A cold glass of milk goes great and so does a nice cup of tea.