Church Lady Banana Bread

You'll almost always find my banana hook with bananas hanging off of it. They're full of potassium, so they're great for running. They're sweet and easy to eat, so they're a great snack on the go. For me, though, bananas have about a 2-day eating range. I can't eat them if there's a touch of green still on them because the texture kinda makes me gag, but once they have too much brown, I know they're getting too ripe. I'm ok with this, folks. Really, I am.

Ripe bananas go good in so many different things. Make pancakes! French toast! Use a banana as an egg substitute! My all-time favorite, though, is banana bread. Even most people who don't like bananas will eat banana bread. The smell of it cooking and the thought of eating it piping hot out of the oven are enough to keep me buying these delicious peel-away fruits.

My favorite banana bread recipe is from my church cook book, hence the name. The recipe was entered by Ms. Chikako Miller. This particular recipe makes two loaves which is perfect for so many reasons. 1. I can make one with nuts and one without to pacify my nut-hating husband. Haha. 2. I can share! I'm really big on treating people to baked goods whenever possible, so two loaves allows me to do that without hearing the ol' ball & chain complain. 3. We have two loaves of banana bread! Awesome!



Banana Bread
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes to 1 hour

Addapted from the Keystone Church of the Nazarene Cook Book

4 tbsp ground flaxseed
12 tbsp water
4-5 bananas (Thank you, Laurie, for pointing out that I forgot to put how many bananas! Sheesh!)
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 - 1 cup chopped walnuts (use 1 cup for both loaves and 1/2 cup for one loaf)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Generously grease the bottoms only of 2 loaf pans (9x5x3 inches).

2. In a food processor, combine the flaxseed and water. Blend until viscous & eggy. This is your egg substitute! Blend all of the ingredients on low speed for 1 minute, scraping the bowl constantly (Hello, new KitchenAid mixer. You'll never know how much I love you). Beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Pour evenly into both pans.

3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pans. It says to "cool completely", but let's be honest: Banana bread is much better enjoyed warm from the oven!

Not only is this recipe easy, it's de-licious! I know the oil content is really high, so that's why I would like you all to know that you can replace half of the oil with equal parts apple sauce. The sugar content is really high, too, but I used raw sugar so I don't feel as bad about it. This banana bread is so rich and delicious. I promise, you'll love it!

One last note...if you find yourself with bananas that are too ripe and you're not going to be able to use them for a while because you are just ON THE GO, stick them in the freezer! Seriously, this will halt the ripening process but they'll still be good to use! Just let them thaw out a bit whenever you're ready. Enjoy!