1 ¼ cups sugar
¼ cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 ½ cups mashed ripe bananas (3-4 medium bananas)
½ cup buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped nuts, if desired
---------
Place oven rack in lowest position. Preheat oven to 350o. Grease bottoms only of 2 loaf pans, 8 ½ x 4 ½ x 2 ½ inches, or 1 loaf pan, 9 x 5 x 3 inches.
Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Add bananas, buttermilk and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients, except nuts, just until moistened. Stir in nuts. Pour into pans. Bake 8 inch loaves about 1 hour, 9 inch loaf about 1 ¼ hours, or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes. Loose sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans. Cool completely before slicing. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature up to 4 days.