The Daily Bread and Banana Bread

This is the banana bread that our 2 boys have been raised on.  It's easy to make and always turns out moist and rich.  My wife got this recipe from M.Z. who worked in the accounting department of the Bonanza stores headquarters about 25 years ago.  Bonanza was bought out and then bankrupted like so many other firms in the 80's and 90's.  But the great Banana Bread recipe lives on creating wonderful odors in our house while baking.

Banana Bread

1 cube of room temperature butter, ( or 1/2 cup shortening)

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

3 mashed bananas

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 to 3/4 cups chopped nuts (optional)

Mash banana's and then add the sugar, butter, and eggs.  Mix very well, then slowly add your 2 cups of flour.  Once well mixed add the baking soda and walnuts, now just mix the batter enough to evenly distribute the soda and nuts.  Grease a 9x5 pan with the wrapper from the butter or mist with cooking spray.  Pour the batter into the pan and cook at 350 for 60 minutes or until butter knife inserted into center of loaf comes clean.  The recipe calls for 60 minutes, but we always end up cooking it more, 70 or 75 minutes.  The bread will let you know it's done, by showing an almost clean knife after insertion.