Baked!

Nope, not me! Banana walnut bread. It's not too hot to bake, IF you do it early in the morning. I was all finished cleanup and slicing before 11:30am.  Now I'll just package and freeze what we don't eat at lunchtime! I think I bake because it gives me a real sense of accomplishment and it's ALWAYS nice to have home baked items on hand. The recipe I used today is one that a favorite fellow blogger posted quite a few years ago. Her name was Beth Marie and she lived in Peoria, IL. Unfortunately she died in 2015, but her memories and recipes live on! "Day by Day With Beth Marie"

~~~~Recipe~~~~

Banana Bread - Beth Marie

INGREDIENTS:

cooking spray

3 ripe bananas

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup softened butter

1 cup white sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon milk

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2.  Grease a 9x4 inch loaf pan.

3.  Mash bananas in a bowl.

4.  Whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in another bowl.

5.  Beat butter and sugar with an electric mixer or spatula in a large bowl until smooth.

6.  Stir in mashed bananas.

7.  Add eggs to the butter mixture one at a time, fully blending in each egg before adding the next.

8.  Stir in vanilla extract and milk.

9.  Stir in chopped walnuts, chocolate chips, and flour mixture until just incorporated.

10.  Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Tap pan on the counter to release any air pockets.

11.  Bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean.

12.  Let the bread rest in the pan for 15-20 minutes. Remove from pan. Slice and serve.