Brown Sugar Banana Bread

I have eaten much banana bread in my life and have decided that although it may seem like a simple recipe, many bakers get it wrong. I have had banana bread that has no hint of banana flavor, or too dry to want to eat it. It could be that these recipes do not include much banana or tell you to bake it until it no longer tastes like the moist banana bread it is supposed to be. I have made several recipes and have tried many others. While I have a banana snack cake recipe I really like, I have an all-time favorite banana bread recipe.

I must add that there are some things I think everyone should know and be careful of when they are making banana bread. Most recipes call for an hour of baking. Once you get to know your recipe and your oven, you will be able to get a good gauge on the timing, but rarely do I go less than an hour, or longer than an hour. If anything, it's no more than 10 minutes either way. Another thing I learned from being disappointed with the tops of the bread cooking nicely but the bottom staying a gooey mess is that you're supposed to cook banana bread on the lower middle rack of your oven. That way, you don't completely dry the bread trying to cook the gooey bottom.

I'm not sure where my mother found this recipe, but here it is to share with you all:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 sups mased bananas (3-4)
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)

Cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in bananas. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into creamed mixture. Mix in nuts. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for one hour or until bread tests done. (A toothpick inserted in center will come out clean.) Cool on rack. Makes one loaf.