Who doesn’t love banana bread? I seem to make banana bread frequently as a great way to use up those bananas that are on their way out. And, if you don’t have time to make banana bread but your bananas are too ripe to eat, throw them in the freezer and just pull them out when you’re ready to make that banana bread. You can also put them in the fridge if you know you’ll be making the banana bread in a few days but don’t have time “right now”. The skins will turn black and any bruises on the bananas will intensify, but they’re still perfect for banana bread.
I have two favorite banana bread recipes, one is a regular banana bread, which is shared in my cookbook Rocky Mountain Lodge & Cabins’ Favorite Recipes (you can buy the cookbook by clicking on the link), and the other is this sourdough banana bread recipe. It’s a toss up which one is better, they’re both great breads. But the sourdough in the recipe adds a slight tang to the recipe that really makes it extra special. Here’s the recipe, enjoy!
- 1/3 cup shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 cup mashed overripe bananas
- 1 cup sweet sourdough starter
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×5″ loaf pan, set aside.
Cream together shortening and sugar; add egg and mix until blended.
Stir in bananas and sourdough starter; add vanilla.
Sift flour with salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Add flour mixture and walnuts to the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended.
Pour into prepared loaf pan and put in preheated oven. Turn oven down to 350 degrees F and bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven when done and allow to sit 10 minutes in pan, remove from pan and cool on wire rack before slicing.
Makes 1 loaf
