Birchwood Banana Bread

There is nothing better than coming in the Dining Hall for breakfast and finding a freshly baked loaf of homemade banana bread on your table…

This recipe was derived from a time-honored favorite in the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook that was adapted by Rachel’s mom for “bulk baking”. Of course at camp, we bake 12-24 loaves at ONE time which is a lot of work! This recipe is for one loaf though, so you can whip this up in no time – you don’t even need a mixer!

Give it a try and share it with friends and family - they will loooooove you for it!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 2 eggs, beaten

• 1 1/2 cups mashed banana (about 5 medium, very ripe)

• 1 cup sugar

• 1/2 cup cooking oil or melted butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Grease one 9x5x3-inch bread pan and set aside.

3. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg together. Set aside.

4. Peel the bananas (the riper the better) and put them in a large bowl. Mash the bananas using a banana masher (also used to make mashed potatoes the super old-fashioned way), a fork, or like we used here - a pastry blender (which looks like a half-circle wire whisk type thing with a handle).

5. Add in the eggs, oil, and sugar. Mix together.

5. Now, add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture. But here’s the trick - you want to stir the dry ingredients in JUST enough - until they are moistened - and no more. It seems counter-intuitive, but mixing too much makes the bread stiff and dense. You want it light and fluffy. If the batter is lumpy don’t worry! *Helpful tip: this is the difference between really amazing quick breads and muffins and yucky hard ones.

6. Spoon the batter into the pan. To level the batter, lightly slam your pan on the counter.

7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (if necessary, cover loosely with foil the last 15 minutes of baking to prevent overbrowning). Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan. Cool a little before slicing and then get ready – anyone with a nose has already smelled this baking and will be crowding in! Serve with real butter for those who like it that way. This is also amazing toasted the day after.

And as a side note you lovely Birchwood ladies, a fresh loaf of banana bread cures all.

So if you have a friend, a neighbor, or a mom who needs some extra lovin’ - this is a wonderful gift you can give someone, from the heart, that will surely be appreciated.