Banana Bread

- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- 2 medium bananas

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (175 C). Line a 9x5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the melted butter and sugar. Add the eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the butter mixture until smooth. Finally, fold in the sour cream, walnuts and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
3. Bake at 350 F (175 C) for 60 minutes.

Notes

This is a pretty forgiving recipe, good for beginners.
I do this all in one mixing bowl, just put the ingredients in the order listed.
The original directions say to grease the pan, but lining it works better and is easier to clean.
I've made this as two smaller loaves and as muffins before, start checking on them at 45 minutes.
I really think the sour cream is the secret sauce that really makes this recipe better than other banana breads.

Substitutions

I usually use rolled oats instead of walnuts and also sprinkle some on top.
I've also just made it without nuts or oats and it's turned out fine.
I've successfully replaced the half the sugar with maple syrup, fully replacing it didn't turn out as well.
I've tried to do 3 bananas but it comes out a bit mushy/chunky for my taste.