Our Best Banana Nut Bread

I have several recipes for banana bread in my stash of cookbooks and various magazine clippings but this is my family’s favorite. Adding wheat germ, nuts, and a few over-ripe bananas makes this quick bread loaf moist and flavorful. I often throw sweet, over-ripe bananas in the freezer so that I will have them on hand when I want to make a quick loaf. I thaw them on the counter or defrost them briefly in the microwave before mashing them into the batter. For an added health benefit, I add wheat germ to the recipe, giving a bit of crunch to the top of the loaf.

Our Best Banana Nut Bread Recipe

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine, softened
2 eggs
3-4 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup water
1 2/3 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup wheat germ

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9x5x3″ loaf pan. In a large bowl, cream sugar and margarine; stir in eggs until blended. Add bananas and water; mix well. Stir in remaining ingredients except wheat germ and mix just until moistened. Pour into prepared pan. Sprinkle batter with wheat germ; gently press into the batter. Bake loaf for 55-60 minutes; cool for 5 minutes and remove from pan. Place on wire rack to continue cooling.