Strother-Simmons Banana Bread

I felt the need to bake today, partly because I had three ripe organic bananas, and also because I found this magazine at Kroger. A homey periodical titled Mary Jane's Farm with biscuits, bread, cupcakes, and cookies on the cover, and the subtitle "Everyday organic on a farmgirl budget" is bound to bring out the baker in me!

I pulled out my Mom's banana bread recipe which is delicious and needs no improvement. But I was also in a creative mood, so I tweaked her recipe a little to accommodate my creativity as well as baking with honey. On the off chance you need a dose of baking, here is my version of Mama's Banana Bread:

1 stick Stryk raw butter
3/4 cup Reed's raw honey*
2 brown eggs from the Farmers' Market
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 and 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
3 ripe organic bananas
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped Rio Grande raw organic pecans (or you may use walnuts)
Shredded unsweetened coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray your pan with Baking Pam. (I used an 8 x 8 cobalt blue Pyrex pan)
2. Cream butter and honey 'til light and fluffy. Then add eggs and beat well.
3. Stir flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg into the creamed mixture.
4. Fold in bananas, vanilla, and nuts.
5. Pour mixture into the pan and sprinkle with coconut.
6. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Check the bread at 40 or 50 minutes and insert a toothpick into the middle. If it comes out clean, the bread is done. If not, cook about 10 more minutes.
7. Cool in the pan and then place on a rack.

Mama says the time should be adjusted depending upon the type of pan you use. If you use a flat Pyrex pan, you should not have to take it out - just cook 50-60 minutes.

I also recommend eating a piece of this bread warm from the oven, washed down with a tall glass of Stryk raw milk.

* I was 1/4 cup short of Reed's plain raw honey, so I added 1/4 cup Reed's raw creamed cinnamon honey!

P.S. - If you want my Mama's original recipe, just send me an e-mail.