Tim's Mom's Banana Bread

I don't know Tim or his mom, but he emailed this recipe to me a couple of weeks ago. You are what you eat so let's be bananas. (I suppose I should be glad he didn't send me a recipe for Rocky Mountain Oysters.)

This is probably the best banana bread recipe I've tried. It's moist, it's delicious, it's full of banana goodness. If you have to take a thing that's healthy as it is and add fat and sugar to it, this is really the way to go.

Tim's Mom's Banana Nut Bread

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp. salt

4 large bananas (the riper the bananas, the better the flavor)

4 eggs

3/4 c. nuts (I used walnuts)

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

3/4 c. Butter flavored Crisco (don't use real butter)

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour two loaf pans (I used larger loaf pans because that's what I have).

Cream Crisco and sugar together with an electric mixer. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

Mash bananas, then add baking soda to bananas and stir to combine. Add this mixture to the Crisco mixture and mix to combine. Add vanilla and mix to combine.

Sift flour with salt, then mix nuts into the flour. Add this to the banana mixture, again mixing to combine all. Pour an equal amount of batter into each prepared pan and then bake for 60 to 70 minutes. To test for doneness insert a knife close to the center of the bread. It should come out clean.

Lay pans on their sides on a cooling rack and don't remove the pans until they are cool, then tap the pan bottoms lightly to loosen loaves from pans.

Tim's Notes in His Very Own Words: "I have added a little black walnut flavoring to this and it gives it a wonderful flavor. Nuts into flour before going into batter keeps nuts in suspension while baking. And soda into bananas. I can't explain it but it makes a difference."

My Notes: My bananas could have ripened another day or two but I couldn't wait any longer. Even so, this came out wonderfully full of flavor. I considered giving the second loaf to some friends but... well, moving on.

I try not to use specific name brands too often but I'd say to stick with the Crisco on this one. Sometimes store brand shortenings can be a little rancid-tasting. Since the total buttery flavor comes from the butter flavored Crisco I'd personally rather not risk my entire batch just to save a dime.

My bread took 60 minutes to bake.

Thanks, Tim. This one's a keeper.