My first-ever blog post is odd for two reasons: one, I'm featuring a recipe with fruit and two, I can't spell banana. I bake a lot but I don't often bake with fruit--I'm just not a cooked fruit person. But banana bread, and banana nut bread are an exception. This recipe comes from a Mennonite cookbook that was given to me from my best friend's mother some time ago. As it says in the forward, this book "contains sound, sensible, and understandable information and instructions...[to] make delicious and wholesome food dish." I'd say that's fairly accurate. You won't find outlandish or complex dishes in this book, but very basic and good recipes. One of my favorites I'm sure I'll share soon is called "delicious pancakes," mmmm pancakes... Anyway, back to the banana bread.

Banana Nut Bread
From the Christian Home Cook Book

• 3/4 cup butter
  
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
  
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
  
• 1/2 cup butter milk
  
• 2 eggs well beaten
  
• 1 1/2 cups mashed bananas
  
• 2 cups sifted flour
  
• 3/4 teaspoons salt
  
• 3/4 cups walnuts

Directions:

• Cream butter and sugar thouroughly.
• Blend in bananas, eggs, and vanilla.
• Sift flour, baking soda, and salt together. Add to banana mixture, alternately, with buttermilk, mixing well after each addition.
• Add nuts, mix.
• Pour batter into greased and floured 9x5x3 loaf pan.
  
• Bake at 325° for 1 1/4 hours.

A few things about this recipe: I made a tray of muffins and some mini-bundt pans instead. The muffins took about 20 minutes to cook while the mini-bundts took about 5 or 7 minutes longer. I can't imagine cooking the loaf pan described below for an hour and 15 minutes. I'd say if you use a regular loaf pan keep an eye on it because I'm guessing it will be done well before that time.

Also, you'll notice that there's butter milk in this recipe. I think you could easily get away with using milk (skim, 2%, whole, whatever) instead. You could add 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or vinegar to the milk to add the tang that buttermilk would have given, but I think most people wouldn't miss it. And obviously, the nuts are optional, but I appeal to you non-nut lovers: just try it, it really adds some great texture and flavor. Just say 'yes' to nuts.

Other tips for this recipe: grease and flour the pan liberally...my cute little muffins are stuck. Definitely use an electric mixer for this one.

I give this recipe 4 of 5 stars--I would definitely make it again.