Best Banana Bread Ever

Mmm.....ba-naaa-naaa!!!

Banana bread. A baked good that, when done right, is light, moist, almost airy, where the pure banana taste shines through. When done not-so-right, though, it is oily, dense, heavy and more sugary than banana-y. The not-so-right banana bread has been the bane of my existence, no matter what recipe I tried. Until year. Oh, did I find a little slice of heaven! Searching the interwebs led me to Simply Recipes and their delightful recipe. It is simple, low in sugar, and high in banana flavor. I have made this many times since finding it. The first time I made it, I did so exactly according to the directions and it was wonderful. After reading the comment section on the original recipe, I decided to add rum extract and almond extract and that took it to an entirely new level. I've also added chocolate chips, blueberries, nutella, and regular spiced rum (although not all in the same loaf!). Every single addition was delicious. Even with my chocolate obsession, my favorite version is just banana bread with the rum and almond extracts. My almost-two-year-old nephew Tate LOVES bananas and would heartily endorse this bread! So I am going to share it with you. You're welcome. And thank you, thank you, thank you to Simply Recipes for putting it out there in the first place!!!
Banana Bread Recipe (courtesy Simply Recipes)

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients
3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter - barely melted so it's still pale yellow and not runny liquid
1 cup sugar (can easily reduce to 3/4 cup - and I did)
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour - sifting it is very helpful!

No need for a mixer for this recipe. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve.

Yield: Makes one loaf