Banana Nut Bread

2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
1 cup sugar
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, melted & cooled
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup pecans, finely chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees & lightly grease a 9” x 5” loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, soda, & salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas & sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light & fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, & vanilla. Beat well & scrape down the sides of bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts & the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Give it a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Bake for 1 hour & 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. It will probably crack down the middle – that’s typical. Rotate pan periodically to ensure even browning. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.