Banana Bread

In honor of the holiday season, I'm including my recipe for banana bread. Though I avoid baking whenever possible, this bread doesn't really count since it's made in a bread machine. My machine is named Sally Sunbeam, an energetic young lady who whips up all kinds of goodies with uncomplaining enthusiasm. The recipe came from allrecipes.com.

Banana Bread - Quick Bread for Machines

Ingedients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 cup white sugar

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 eggs

2 bananas, peeled and halved lengthwise

Directions:

1. Place ingredients in the pan of the bread machine.

2. Select the dough setting, and press Start. Mix the bread for 3 to 5 minutes until the bananas are mashed and all ingredients are thoroughly combined. If necessary, use a rubber spatula to push the dough from the sides of the bread pan. When 3 to 5 minutes have passed on the clock display, press Stop. Do not continue mixing. Smooth out the top of the loaf with the rubber spatula.

3. Select the Bake setting, and press Start. The Bake cycle time may vary with machines, but should be about 50 minutes. To test the bread for doneness, insert a toothpick into the center top. If there is dough on the toothpick, reset the machine on Bake and continue to bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the machine, but allow the bread to remain in the pan for ten minutes. Remove the bread to cool completely on a wire rack.

This recipe is really easy. It would probably be good with chocolate chips mixed in.