Banana Bread & Spring Break

Ah, Spring Break. Going to bed and getting up when you want to is such a treat! I've mostly been a good girl and done some research for my paper that's due in May, but I really should buckle down and get to the outlining/writing part soon. *Be productive!*

But first, this morning, I made Banana Bread. It turned out really nicely. Rich, as the recipe said, but not dense or greasy like some sweet breads. Light and cakey, good flavor, nice crust. I doubled the recipe so I have one for me, and one goes in the freezer for a brunch in a couple weeks. Fun and productive! ;-)

I really do recommend trying this recipe if you're going to make Banana Bread. You can read the 676 5 star reviews on All Recipes if you don't believe me!

Rich Banana Bread, from adapted from Allrecipes.com
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat or all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup ripe banana, mashed (3 bananas)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt, stir into the butter mixture until almost combined. Do not over-mix.
4. Finally, gently fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Do not over-mix! Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
5. Bake at 325 degrees F for 75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. You may want to cover it with foil the last 15 minutes to prevent over-browning the top. Cool loaf in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.