Fluffy Banana Bread

While most of my ohana prepares for New Years Day (the biggest holiday for local Japanese-ish families) I'm temporarily checking out and finding comfort in something everyday and timeless. . .banana bread.

Banana bread is usually the fortuitous result of some misfortune . . . bananas ripened too quickly to keep up eating them.  I don't think too many people go out and buy bananas with the outright intention of making banana bread.  Well, not me, anyway.

When I was married, my father-in-law had about a half-dozen prolific banana trees, so we had an endless supply of apple bananas.  Apple bananas were a kid favorite. . .just the right size for a kiddie snack.  Now that I'm not on the banana list, I buy my bananas at either the Hilo Farmers Market or Safeway.  I find the bananas from KTA to be kinda on the slimy side.  I'm sure they are, like the Safeway bananas, the Williams variety, but somehow, the Safeway bananas are not slimy.  Of course, if I buy bananas from the Hilo Farmers Market, I always buy apple bananas.

My all-time favorite way to enjoy a banana is in a pie.  Sunnyside Restaurant in Wahiawa makes a double-crust banana pie.  A few other place on Oahu make it too:  Violets on Dillingham, Likelike Drive Inn, and Flamingo Restaurant.  I'm not sure if those places are still in business, but thats where I'd go for my banana pie fix when I lived on Oahu.

Unfortunately, I haven't ever tried making a double-crust banana pie because I'm always outnumbered in the house with people who want plain banana bread.  No nuts, no chocolate chips, no mincemeat.  The Ds like their banana bread plain.  This is their favorite banana bread. 

I normally bake this in mini loaf pans because they are easy to munch on and convenient to take places.  Because my mini loaf pans are "gang" style, they are easy to load in and out of the oven.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Fluffy Banana Bread

     1/2 c butter, softened

     1 c sugar

     1 tsp vanilla

     2 eggs

     1 2/3 c flour

     1 tsp baking soda

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 c mashed banana

     1/2 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 4 mini loaf pans, an 8" x 8" pan, or a loaf pan.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Combine mashed banana and sour cream.  Set aside.  Cream butter with sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add banana mixture alternately with flour mixture, ending with flour mixture.  Pour a little over 1 cup (2 1/2 scoops from a #10 disher) in each pan if using mini loaf pans.  Bake for 40 minutes.  If using an 8" x 8" pan, bake 30 minutes..  If using a loaf pan, bake 65-70 minutes.  Double recipe can also be baked in a 9" x 13" pan for 1 hour.

While most of my ohana prepares for New Years Day (the biggest holiday for local Japanese-ish families) I'm temporarily checking out and finding comfort in something everyday and timeless. . .banana bread.

Banana bread is usually the fortuitous result of some misfortune . . . bananas ripened too quickly to keep up eating them.  I don't think too many people go out and buy bananas with the outright intention of making banana bread.  Well, not me, anyway.

When I was married, my father-in-law had about a half-dozen prolific banana trees, so we had an endless supply of apple bananas.  Apple bananas were a kid favorite. . .just the right size for a kiddie snack.  Now that I'm not on the banana list, I buy my bananas at either the Hilo Farmers Market or Safeway.  I find the bananas from KTA to be kinda on the slimy side.  I'm sure they are, like the Safeway bananas, the Williams variety, but somehow, the Safeway bananas are not slimy.  Of course, if I buy bananas from the Hilo Farmers Market, I always buy apple bananas.

My all-time favorite way to enjoy a banana is in a pie.  Sunnyside Restaurant in Wahiawa makes a double-crust banana pie.  A few other place on Oahu make it too:  Violets on Dillingham, Likelike Drive Inn, and Flamingo Restaurant.  I'm not sure if those places are still in business, but thats where I'd go for my banana pie fix when I lived on Oahu.

Unfortunately, I haven't ever tried making a double-crust banana pie because I'm always outnumbered in the house with people who want plain banana bread.  No nuts, no chocolate chips, no mincemeat.  The Ds like their banana bread plain.  This is their favorite banana bread. 

I normally bake this in mini loaf pans because they are easy to munch on and convenient to take places.  Because my mini loaf pans are "gang" style, they are easy to load in and out of the oven.

click on recipe title for printable recipe
Fluffy Banana Bread

     1/2 c butter, softened

     1 c sugar

     1 tsp vanilla

     2 eggs

     1 2/3 c flour

     1 tsp baking soda

     1/2 tsp salt

     1 c mashed banana

     1/2 c sour cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease 4 mini loaf pans, an 8" x 8" pan, or a loaf pan.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  Combine mashed banana and sour cream.  Set aside.  Cream butter with sugar and vanilla.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add banana mixture alternately with flour mixture, ending with flour mixture.  Pour a little over 1 cup (2 1/2 scoops from a #10 disher) in each pan if using mini loaf pans.  Bake for 40 minutes.  If using an 8" x 8" pan, bake 30 minutes..  If using a loaf pan, bake 65-70 minutes.  Double recipe can also be baked in a 9" x 13" pan for 1 hour.