Betty Crocker's Banana Bread

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (3 to 4 medium)
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
• 1 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. heat oven to 350 degrees f.
• 2 grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
• 3 mix sugar and butter in large bowl.
• 4 stir in eggs until well blended.
• 5 add bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla.
• 6 beat until smooth.
• 7 stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened.
• 8 stir in nuts.
• 9 pour into pans.
• 10 bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
• 11 cool 10 minutes.
• 12 loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack.
• 13 cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing.
• 14 wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.