Nanna Bread Recipe

There is nothing I love more on a cool afternoon than cozying up in my favorite mock turtleneck with a Nora Roberts book, a warm cup of chamomile tea, and a fresh slice of banana bread. Banana bread is a wonderful way to use up old bananas, and we can pretend it’s heathy because it contains fruit!

This particular recipe was passed down to me from my dear Nana (hence, nana bread…get it? Lol! Golly, i’m such a jokester sometimes!). My darling Nana would prepare for each of my visits by whipping up a fresh loaf of banana bread, and would serve it up with a pat of tasty margarine to keep it low fat. She would pour me a cup of tea while I shoved mouthfuls of that tasty comforting quick-bread into my mouth and say “Damnit, Nancy, you’re never going to land yourself a husband if you keep insisting on wearing your hair in that ugly-ass pageboy cut!”

Oh, silly sweet Nana. Well, i’ve graduated out of the pageboy cut and have moved on to an adorable permed bob. And I managed to land a hubby (hi Dale!). And I even have a couple of kiddies in tow…Madison and Tyler. The one thing that hasn’t changed is my love of relaxed fit jeans and banana bread. So in honor of my dearest Nana, I wanted to share her recipe with the internet world!

How to make the worlds best nana bread:

For this recipe, you will need 3 overly ripe bananas. You’ll want the skin to be well speckled with brown dots, like my daughters cute freckles. You will also need one cup of sugar. I’ve tried this with Equal and Splena, and it just didn’t come out right. Sugar is the way to go for this one. In addition, you will need 1 stick of butter or margarine and 2 eggs (which should both be at room temperature), 2 cups flour, 1 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, if desired. I used to enjoy my banana bread with walnuts, but Tyler is deathly afraid of nuts.

Now, you’ll want to sift your flour, baking soda, and salt together so there are no lumps and everything is evenly distributed. This will help ensure a texture for your banana bread that is just perfect, much like my life in beautiful Indiana.

Mash the bananas up in a separate bowl so they’re ready to go!

Here is where things start to get moving for you! Cream the butter and sugar.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and make sure you beat them well after each addition so they’re fully incorporated.

Now add the mashed bananas and mix well. It’s ok to still see a few lumps of banana. My cherished Nana had a few lumps herself, but she turned out just fine (turns out they were just very large skin tags).

Add your sifted dry ingredients in 4 batches. Again, make sure to mix this thoroughly after each addition. Once the dry ingredients are incorporated, add the nuts (if using).

Pour the mixture into a greased and lightly floured bread tin. I have found that the finished loaf can still be a bit tricky to remove with just grease and flour in the pan, so I have another trick up my sleeve! After I grease my bread tin, I will cut a strip of parchment paper to lay across the two longer sides and bottom of the tin, leaving a bit to hang over each side. Then i’ll flour the two shorter sides as normal. When it comes out of the oven, just loosen the short sides with a butter knife, then grab the sides fo the parchment and viola! The bread lifts right out! Neat, huh?

I feel like i’m getting ahead of myself here, so let me back it up! After you’ve prepared your bread tin, pour the batter in and bake for about 1 hour at 350 F. You’ll know it’s done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

To serve, just cut into nice thick slices. Enjoy warm or cold. I find it’s best the next day because I can toast it and slather on some tasty margarine (it’s lower in saturated fat!). Bon Appetite!

Nana Bread Full Recipe:

2 Cups Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Eggs
3 Mashed Bananas
1/4 Cup Chopped Walnuts (if desired)

• Preheat oven to 350 F and prepare a bread tin by either greasing and flouring, or with parchment paper as described above.
• Have your butter, eggs, and bananas at room temperature. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl and set aside. Peel and mash the bananas in a separate small bowl and set aside.
• Cream the butter and sugar using a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment. Add the eggs one at a time, making sure to mix thoroughly after each addition. Add the mashed bananas and mix briskly. Add the dry ingredients in four batches, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the nuts (if using).
• Pour batter into prepared bread tin and bake for about 1 hour. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.