Cafe Style Best Ever Banana Bread -

At age 15, I landed my first job working in a café. It was the perfect place for me. I have always loved baking and this couldn't have been a better fit. I miss those days. My co-workers were an amazing group of people and we often hung out outside of work. There were just a handful of us working there and it was extremely busy but very rewarding.

I have gotten some great recipes for café food - wraps, sandwiches, pastas, baked goodies. One of the best sellers was this banana bread. We used to mix 6-loaf batches of it by hand. I must have built some serious arm muscles doing that, let me tell you! I'm glad I have Kitchen Aid mixer now to help me out.

Even if you already have your favorite "go-to" banana bread recipe, I still urge you to try this one out. It's extremely moist, full of banana flavor with a beautiful deep brown color and slightly crisp top crust. I like to slice it, wrap each slice in saran wrap and freeze it to be thrown into lunchbags later in the week.

One bite of this brings back fond memories and a whole lot of nostalgia for me. My only regret is that I am not in touch with these girls. I often wonder where their lives have taken them and if they too think back on those days with a smile on their faces. I wonder if they still make this banana bread!



Best Ever Banana Bread
1 loaf

2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 cup mashed bananas
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.
2.Blend together the eggs, buttermilk, oil and bananas.
3.Sift together the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to banana mixture and stir in nuts/chocolate. Mix well.
4.Pour into prepared pan and bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.