World's Best Banana Bread in the Universe Ever In History!

Is that title over-doing it?  I don't think so.

I present to you my Great-Grandmother's banana bread recipe.  I made anywhere from 8-12 loaves a week up at Stout's Island Lodge for the continental breakfast (and Don, my Executive Chef, usually ate at least one loaf a week), and gave out the recipe at least a dozen times.  It's best right out of the oven, with a nice crust to it, add a little unsalted butter, and you will achieve total enlightenment.  It's not a very touchy recipe, either.  I've overcooked it by a half hour and it still came out moist and delicious.

Preheat oven to 300 fahrenheit 

1c         Sugar
1/2 c     Shortening
2           Eggs
3T.        Buttermilk
3           Bananas (very ripe)

1 1/2 c  All-Purpose Flour
1t.         Baking Soda

• Cream together the sugar and shortening.
• Add eggs and buttermilk, whisk together until combined and smooth.
• Mash bananas with a whisk until they are a chunky paste, add to wet mix.
• Sift in flour and baking soda to prevent chunks.
• Fold together until just combined, and pour into a loaf pan.
• Bake for 80-90 minutes

This is a pretty sturdy recipe, so you don't have to make any adjustments if you want to increase the yield.  The largest I've done is a 4x batch, and it came out perfectly.  Test it with a toothpick and pull it out of the oven when the toothpick comes out dry it's done.  I usually pull it before the toothpick is totally dry, and let it sit in the bread pan for 10 minutes before I pop it out onto a cooling rack.  The best thing you can possibly do is have a slice of it the very second it's cool enough to handle.

Yeah, it contains shortening.  Get over it.  It's the secret (I think) to how moist this bread is, and it's total comfort food.  I'm all for eating as healthy as possible, but everything in moderation.  Live a little.