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Irresistible Banana Bread
Skill level 2
Ease Level 2
Prep time 20 minutes Cook time 1 hour

Rich buttermilk, crunchy nuts and flavorful, ripe bananas make this
banana bread tops.

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter or 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 Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired ( I like walnuts)
1 teaspoon salt

Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in
center of oven. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 1/2x4 1/2x2 1/2 inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9x5x3 inches.
Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans. Bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour, 9-inch loaf about 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans and place top side up on wire rack. Cool completely, about 2 hours, before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days, or refrigerate up to 10 days.

HOMEMADE BEER BREAD:

Skill Level 2
Ease Level 2
Prep Time 30 minutes Baking Time 1 hour

3 cups self-rising flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups beer [equivalent to 1 regular can of beer]
1 stick of butter

Butter and flour a bread pan [about 9-inch long loaf pan] and set aside. Mix the flour with the sugar with a whisk. Add the beer and mix quickly with a fork into a dough. If the dough is not elastic enough for you, open another can of beer and add little by little mixing until you get the conistency needed. Pour into the pan and smooth out to corners and sides and smooth on top; cover with saran wrap and let sit for 15 minutes. Then uncover and place pan in middle of oven and bake for 1 hour. After 30 minutes are up; take stick of butter and run all over top of bread 'til There's a film of butter on top; then place back into oven and bake for the rest of the hour, and while the bread is finished baking - drink the rest of the can of beer! Later on you can be creative with this bread and before adding the beer mix in some chopped onions and shredded cheese, then make the dough with the beer and have a Onion/Cheese Beer Bread! Anyway, take bread out of oven, and cool.

This is slightly different from Uni's.

Best Banana Nut Bread

Skill Level: 1
Ease: 1

Ingredients:
2 C. flour
1 C. sugar
½ t. baking powder
2 lg. Eggs
½ t. baking soda
3 bananas, mashed
½ t. salt
½ C. chopped nuts (optional)
½ C. butter (marg.)

Directions:
Sift flour, baking powder, soda, salt, and sugar. In a separate bowl, beat eggs; then, add to dry ingredients. Add mashed bananas and mix well—either with wooden spoon or blender. Heat oven to 350º. Grease insides of 2 bread pans before pouring in mixture.

Bake for 30-40 minutes. Check after 30 to see if toothpick test is “dry”. Allow to cool on a baking rack. Using a knife around the edges of pan, loosen loaf and turn upside down on rack until it “turns loose”.

Herb and Onion Bread
(Great yeast bread that doesn't need to be kneeded and adds a little panche to a meal.)

1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs butter
1 package yeast= 1Tbs yeast
1/2 cup warm water
2 1/4 cups white or whole wheat flour
1/2 small onion, minced
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp crushed, dried rosemary

Scald the milk and dissolve in it the sugar, salt and butter; cool to lukewarm. In a large bowl, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add the cooled mlk, flour, minced onion, and herbs, and stir well with alarge, wooden spoon.

When the batter is smooth, cover the bowl with a towel and let the dough rise in a warm place until triple in bulk - about 45 minutes. Stir down and beat vigorously for a few minues, the turn in to a greased bread pan. Let it stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes before putting it into a preheated, 350F-degree oven. Bake about 1 hour.