Dad’s Banana Bread

Dad’s Banana Bread: An easy, classic recipe for the perfect banana bread.

I’ll be honest. My dad is not the best chef in our family. His favorite meal of warmed up lima beans was constantly stinking up our kitchen (my mom hated it) and he was never one to offer to cook meals. But he did have one, secret, hidden talent–banana bread. Every once in a while we wouldn’t eat our bananas in time and they would go so ripe that they couldn’t be eaten. So every once in a while, my dad would whip out his special banana bread recipe, and we would all be so glad we didn’t finish those bananas in time. When I moved out and went to college, I would get a package in the mail every few months with a loaf of my dad’s special banana bread. I finally decided that I needed it more often than that, and got the recipe for his banana bread! After keeping it all to myself the past few years, I think it is time that I share it with the world!!

This recipe really is not hard. And oh man, it is so worth it. It is a delicious, moist, and springy bread with the perfect flavor of bananas. The most important tip I can give you for this recipe is to use bananas that are ripe enough, but not too ripe. They should be browning to the point where you won’t eat them anymore, but not too brown because then the banana is a little overpowering. But if you use bananas that aren’t ripe enough, the bread is not sweet enough. So here is a picture of my bananas and how they looked before they were mashed:

Other than that tip, there really isn’t much to this recipe!

Yield: One 9x5" pan, or two 5x3" pans

Dad's Banana Bread

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Dad's Banana Bread: An easy recipe for the perfect banana bread.

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Ingredients

• 1/3 c. shortening
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 c. sifted flour
• 1 c. mashed ripe banana
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt

Instructions

1. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat well.
2. Sift together dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture alternately with banana, blending well after each addition.
3. Pour into greased 9x5" or two 5x3" loaf pans.
4. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes.
5. Remove from pan and cool on rack.