Banana Bread

I don't like to eat bananas. Something about the soft, gooey texture sliding down my throat stimulates my gag reflex. Which is why I always end up with lots of browning bananas around the kitchen. However, I love rotten bananas! They are perfect for banana bread! After my midterm today, I felt free as a bird and decided to break out the baker in me. I haven't baked for so long, and I missed it! I have two banana bread recipes I like to use. One is for banana muffins with a crumbly, streusel topping, but the one I made today was the traditional loaf bread exploding with banana flavor.

Banana Bread

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
Dash of salt
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups mashed banana
2 eggs

2 tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease 9x5 loaf pan. Combine white sugar and cinnamon, and lightly dust bottom and sides of greased pan. 
2. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt in large bowl. Beat butter and brown sugar together in separate bowl. Add bananas and eggs to butter mixture and mix well. Gently mix liquid and flour mixtures together. Do not overmix. 
3. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 60 - 65 minutes. Bread is done with toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. 

I love the smell of banana bread baking in the oven. Baking is such a rewarding experience, because there's a sweet reward at the very end! 

One tip: if you don't have time to bake banana bread and your bananas are already turning to mush, unpeel the bananas, place them in a ziplock, and freeze them till needed. It's great because then you always have bananas on-hand when you have the craving for banana bread!