This is the time of year - just past Purim - when people who observe Passover clean out their cabinets (a good spring clean!), throw out stuff they’re never going to use or that’s past a “sell-by” date, give ingredients away and use up prohibited ingredients such as flour, cookies, bread and such.
I’m also always looking for ways to use up uneaten bananas. So, for me, one of the most delicious ways to use up the flour AND the bananas is: Banana Bread!
Like this very simple one to which you could add: chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, crystallized ginger, candied orange peel (about 1/2 to 3/4 cups of any extra).
plain old BANANA BREAD
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
3 ripe medium bananas, mashed
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan. Mix the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside. Mix the sugar and vegetable oil together in the bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly combined. Add the vanilla extract and eggs and beat them in until well combined. Add the buttermilk and bananas and blend them in thoroughly. Add the flour mixture and blend it in. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for about one hour or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Makes one loaf