Banana Nut Sandwich Bread

  I've looked at recipes for banana nut bread that use yeast, and I just had to try this one from the old 1955 Red Star booklet, Over the Back Fence to you…Prize Yeast Recipes from Red Star.   It was one of the ones they photographed for the booklet, so I thought it would be good.  It was excellent.

Use a very ripe banana to get the best flavor.  4 ounces of peeled banana mashed to about a ½ cup.  I used home-canned pecans to get the toasted flavor.
Check out our mixer bread information HERE.  Remember, you can also make this recipe by hand too, the way I did for years.

This makes a delicious bread to just serve with butter, to make into chicken or ham sandwiches, to serve with summer main-dish salads, and makes great toast too.   My husband has requested this again.               

Banana Nut Sandwich Bread

  4 ¼     cups  Bread Flour -- 1 pound 3 ounces

  1         tablespoon  Brown Sugar

  1         teaspoon  Salt

  1         package  Instant Yeast

     ½     tablespoon  Butter -- softened

  1         large  Eggs

     ½     cup  Banana -- crushed, ripe, 1 large (4 oz mashed)

  1         cup  Warm Water -- 120°-125°

     ½     cup  Nuts -- finely chopped (2 ounces)

In mixer bowl, with paddle attachment at low speed, combine half of the flour, brown sugar, salt and yeast. 

Heat the water to 120-125°.  Add to the dry mixture slowly until it is absorbed and beat 1/2 minute at low speed.   Add the egg, banana, nuts and butter to the mixture.  Add enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough and beat at medium speed 3 minutes.

Change to dough hook and knead 5-6 minutes or 8 minutes by hand.

Cover bowl tightly, let rise 10 minutes in a warm place. 

Grease 9 x 5" bread pan and let oven preheat to 375° while bread is rising the in the bread pan.

Shape into loaf, let rise in a warm place 25-30 minutes or until the center is about 1" above the rim of the pan.

Bake 40-50 minutes at 375° or until an instant-read thermometer reads 200° and bread is nicely browned.  You may need to loosely cover the loaf with foil to keep it from getting too brown.

Brush with soft butter for a tender crust.  If desired, frost with a light glaze of powdered sugar and milk.

This slices best when the loaf is completely cool.

 "Over the Back Fence to You” 1955

Yield:  "1 Loaf"

Per Serving: 177 Calories; 4g Fat (19.6% calories from fat); 6g Protein; 30g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 14mg Cholesterol; 143mg Sodium.  Exchanges: 2 Grain(Starch); 0 Lean Meat; 0 Fruit; 1/2 Fat; 0 Other Carbohydrates.