Jennifer McPherson's Beautiful Banana Bread

Often, with the wrong recipe, a sludge of banana ends up on the bottom quarter of the bread. Or...it ends up too dry. This recipe yields a moist bread with just the right amount of sweetness. A slice of heaven. And it fills your house with a wonderful homey fragrance. Thanks Jennifer McPherson! Thanks Dawn Sholz! Thanks Facebook! Goodnight Moon! Note: Only moms will understand this last comment--and perhaps their children.

Note: To combat banana bread sludge at the bottom of the loaf, always use 3 small bananas instead of large bananas. Also, do not slice the bread until it has cooled to very lukewarm. Sorry, I know how hard it is to resist. Just lick the batter bowl while you're waiting. That's what I do!

Ingredients:

2 C flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 c butter
1 C sugar
2 eggs (at room temperature--put in a bowl of very warm water for 10 minutes to warm before cracking)
1 t vanilla
3 bananas (very ripe)
1/2 C sour cream

Directions:

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Spray or grease pan ( I line the bottom with parchment paper too).
Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Cream butter. Add sugar, scraping sides. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Mash bananas, then add sour cream. Mix 1/3 of dry ingredients with the butter mixture, the rest of the banana mixture, and the rest of the dry mixture. Bake for 70-75 minutes, depending on your oven. Check with a long wooden skewer or even a piece of spaghetti to see if it's still mooshy at the bottom before you set it out to cool. Serve lukewarm with butter or cream cheese. GOSH!