banana bread

what do you do when you have some brown, mushy bananas that aren't really worth eating just by themselves?  make banana bread out of it, of course.  so that's what i did this past weekend.

my mom says this recipe comes from my great-grandmother(mother ruth).  honestly, i've never cooked this recipe before, but i remember having it growing up.  as it turns out, it's very simple...and very tasty.

ingredients:
- 3-4 ripe bananas
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 cups plain flour
- 2 eggs
- dash salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/3 cup melted butter
- 1 cup nuts (i used pecans)

preparation:
smush the bananas, and mix in all the other ingredients.  pour into a greased, floured pan, and bake at 300°F until done.  apparently, the recipe doesn't have a time listed, so i was very careful not to burn the bread.  the pan was in the oven about 52 minutes before it was golden-brown on top.  doneness is verified with a toothpick stuck into the top (the toothpick should come out clean and relatively dry).

i let the pan sit out for about 10 minute before i removed the bread and put it on a rack to cool.
 

verdict:
as i said, it is very tasty.  however, it should be noted that the banana bread is not quite as good toasted as it is just plain.  when toasted, it dries out just a bit too much, and spreading butter on it isn't sufficient to rehydrate it.  the bread doesn't need to be eaten warm, but zapping it in the microwave would probably be perfectly fine if you insisted on something more than room temperature.

the pan i used made a weird-looking loaf (very oval, yes?), but it certainly worked out well.  i approve.