Hint of Orange Banana Nut Bread

With Black Walnuts

Ripe bananas in our home are quickly made into muffins, bread, cake or pancakes. You will rarely see a banana with brown spots in our fruit bowl. In fact, we prefer eating a slightly green banana in our cereal.

Fruit makes a quick recycle in my kitchen today. No time for fruit flies. Fruit was never a turn-on in my early years. My father’s business was closely associated with ranchers and farmers. We had an abundant fruit bowl thanks to his generous customers. But in our warm house with open windows the fruit took on a less than appetizing appearance. Crates of over-ripe strawberries were made into jam. Peaches and tomatoes were canned. Watermelon and cantaloupe were eaten as quickly as possible. Freezing some fruit was done too but only after we acquired a deep freezer. It was just too much information for me then. Today I see how lucky we were. And how appreciated my dad was by his customers.

The habit of recycling fruit moves much faster today in my kitchen, and I have passed the habit onto my children. So, after the fruit smoothies my daughter and I made last week (with bananas just ripe) the overripe have been made into this delicious bread.

I’ve added a hint of orange flavor with orange zest and orange extract. It’s amazing. The crust is slightly crunchy and the texture of the bread is moist and not heavy. Black walnuts add a flavor that is just right. I’m not a fan of black walnuts as a snack but in this bread they add just the right taste change to make this extraordinary.

I hope you’ll try this recipe. It’s one of the best banana nut bread recipes I’ve tasted.

 Recipe

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Bake for 60-65 minutes or until top center bounces back when slightly touched
Makes one loaf 9 inches by 5 inches

1 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1 1/4 Teaspoon baking powder
3/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Eggs-room temperature
1/3 Cup shortening
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1/4 Cup dark brown sugar-packed
2 Tablespoons cream
1 Cup mashed ripe bananas
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon orange extract
2 Teaspoons orange zest
1/4 Cup black walnut pieces

Measure the first four ingredients into a small bowl, whisk and set aside.

In a large bowl beat the two eggs with the shortening until all the shortening is incorporated. This may take a few minutes.

Add the sugars to the egg mixture and beat until well mixed.

Add the cream, bananas, extracts, zest into the egg-shortening-sugar mixture and mix well.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Mix until incorporated only.

Stir in nuts.

Pour batter into well greased and floured loaf pan. Level the batter in the pan. Bake!

And now for the best part!