Ingredients:

3 Large Overripe Bananas

1 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour

3/4 cup Brown Sugar

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

1/3 cup of Unsalted Butter (plus extra for greasing pan)

1 Egg

1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

pinch of Salt

OPTIONAL:

1 cup Nuts, Chocolate Chunks, Raisins (or some other dried or fresh fruit), or any other accent that you like in your banana bread.

Method:

1. Preheat your oven (with the rack in the lower 3rd) to 350 F and brush a 4×8 loaf pan with melted butter. Place a piece of parchment paper onto the bottom of the pan if desired.

2. In a large bowl mash the bananas very well.

3. Pour 1/3 cup of warm melted butter, 3/4 cups of brown sugar, beaten egg, and 1 tsp vanilla into the bananas.  Mix well.

4. Sprinkle 1 teaspoon of baking soda and a pinch of salt over the mixture and stir very well again.

5. Add 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour to the bowl and stir quickly to combine with the rest of the batter, JUST until incorporated. It is desirable to still see bits of flour here and there. If adding one of the optional ingredients, just mix the flour in a very little bit, add the ingredient, and then finish mixing JUST until everything is roughly combined.

6. Immediately pour the batter into your buttered loaf pan and put it into the hot oven right away.

7. Bake for approximately one hour, or until a toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs attached (but no wet batter).

8. Allow to cool inside the loaf pan for 30 to 60 minutes and then remove from pan and place onto a dish.

9. Slice and serve warm or allow to cool before slicing.

Credit: thecookinggeek