I spent 40 years trying I bet a hundred different banana bread recipes I found online and in cookbooks. THIS IS THE ONE! I search no longer!
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter, softened at room temperature
6 very ripe bananas
4 large eggs
Juice of 1 small lemon
Zest of 1 medium orange
2-1/2 cups of all purpose flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 large handfuls of walnuts, chopped (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter two 9×5 inch loaf pans; set aside. I always cover the inside of the bottom with a piece of foil to make it easier to remove the bread. Cream the sugar and butter together until fluffy. Add the bananas one at a time until all are incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, beating each one in before adding the next. Add the lemon juice and orange zest and mix until well blended and there are no lumps remaining from the banana.
In a separate bowel whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt and add to the mixer about 1/4 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the chopped walnuts if using and mix just to stir them in.
Pour the batter evenly into both of the loaf pans and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until loaves are firm in the middle and knife inserted comes out clean. Cool the loaves in the pan on a cooling rack for about 30 minutes. Slide a knife around the edge of the loaves and upend onto a cooling rack. Peel off the foil and turn over and finish cooling. Freezes well; the recipe can be easily cut in half.
Makes a great French toast. If you have no ripe bananas on hand, bake ripe bananas on a sheet pan in a 300 degree preheated oven for about 30 minutes, until the skins are blackened and the bananas are soft. Open and remove the banana pulp and proceed with the recipe.
