Banana-Nut Bread

MAKES TWO 9-BY-5-INCH LOAVES OR SIX 6-BY-2 3/4-INCH MINI LOAVES.

From Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. I LOVE this smothered with butter…and it has to be Kerrygold butter. If you haven’t tried Kerrygold, you’ll never go back once you have. We use it on anything we know we’ll be able to taste the butter on. Try it! If you use mini-loaf pans, reduce the baking time to forty-five minutes. The recipe comes from Deanna Caceres Calm, a former brand manager in the Martha Stewart Signature furniture group.

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/3 cups vegetable oil
2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups ripe mashed banana (about 3 medium)
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 cup (about 4 ounces) walnuts or pecans, toasted and finely chopped
1/2 cup buttermilk
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans with cooking spray; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the eggs, sugar, and vegetable oil on medium-low speed until combined. Beat in the flour mixture. Add the vanilla, banana, coconut, nuts, and buttermilk, and beat just to combine.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth with an offset spatula. Bake, rotating pans halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the centers comes out clean, 60 to 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Remove loaves from pans and let cool completely. Bread can be kept at room temperature, wrapped well in plastic, for up to 1 week, or frozen for up to 3 months.