This is the Best Ever Banana bread you have ever baked! I got this recipe years and years ago from a foster son's great grandma. She would bake and send us one at Christmas.
You will need:
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 full cup mashed bananas
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 tsp vanilla
In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1 tsp baking soda, stir and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt together and set aside. Mix the butter, sugar and eggs together, and using a rotary beater, blend on medium until well blended and fluffy. Stir dry ingredients in alternately with the buttermilk mixture. Do not over mix. Fold in the vanilla and mashed bananas. Add the nuts at the last if desired.
Bake in greased pans (either two loaf pans, or one bundt pan) at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 60 minutes, depending on your pan size and heat of your oven. Check often so it does not get too brown on the underside. Let stand for ten minutes, then turn out.
Cool completely before wrapping well. You may not need to wrap this, as it goes very quickly!
This moist, delicious quick bread freezes very well and makes great gifts, packaged in colorful cellophane wrap. This is an old favorite, passed down from great grandma.