New Banana Bread

Growing up, we've always used the same banana bread recipe...the one from the Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, copyright c. late 70's.  That recipe has never steered us wrong.  With an overabundance of ripe bananas lately (the desert Spring will do that to 'em), I decided why not try something new rather than inundating my hunnie and my freezer with three loaves of the BHG's recipe.  Why not try a recipe with a few different ingredients to see how it compares to the one we know and love?  This recipe is loosely based on one from FamilyFun Magazine.  The result was a very moist, mildly sweet banana bread with a little earthiness from the oats.  Next time around, I will probably add a touch more baking powder, as the loaf had a bit of a flat top.  This recipe was worth making (and I will definitely make it again sometime), but BHG's still holds the number one place in my banana bread repertoire.

New Banana Bread
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 very ripe bananas
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Grease sides of a 5x9 loaf pan.  In a bowl combine flour, oats, soda, powder and salt.  In a second bowl mash bananas with a potato masher, and stir in yogurt.  In a third bowl (or your mixer bowl) cream together butter and sugar.  Mix in eggs, one at a time, to butter-sugar mixture.  Next, add vanilla to butter-sugar mixture and briefly blend.  Using a wooden spoon, stir approximately 1/3 of dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture, combining thoroughly.  Then stir 1/3 of banana mixture to butter-sugar mixture, combining thoroughly.  Repeat, alternating between dry ingredients and banana mixture until all are thoroughly combined.  Scrape batter into loaf pan.  Bake until a toothpick poked into center of loaf comes out clean, approximately 1 hour.  Yields 1 loaf. Pin It