Famous Kona Inn Banana Bread

 

When my sister was a student at the University of Alabama, the school produced a cookbook entitled, Nothing but the Best!.  It was a beautiful hardbound collection of recipes from the staff, and the cover featured a picture of the President's Mansion, located right in the heart of the school's campus.  Betsy, ever the thoughtful gift giver, got a copy for her and me to give our mom, and it was a huge hit!  Mom loved cookbooks, and this one was extra special because it came from her girls.  Now the book is in Betsy's kitchen, and she and I get to cook from it when I'm in town.

 

This banana bread said it was famous, and I confirmed this with a quick Google search.  Sure enough, the Kona Inn treat is well known, but the recipes vary.  (Some even called for shortening.)  What's the real Kona Inn banana bread?  I have no idea, but I guess it could be this one?  All I know is that this is a delicious recipe, one Betsy knew was a keeper the first time she made it, and one I know you can trust to deliver the results you want in your own kitchen.  With how long it takes to let bananas go bad, measure ingredients, and bake, no one's got time for mediocre.  Just trust me, and let the frangrance of bananas, butter, and all that good stuff fill your home soon.

 

Lastly, Roll Tide!

 

Famous Kona Inn Banana Bread

chefjennylyn.com

 

6 large bananas, ripened

2 1/2 cups plain flour

1 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 large eggs

 

In first bowl, mash bananas and set aside.

In second bowl, sift together flour, salt, and baking soda. Set aside.

In large bowl, cream together butter, sugar, and eggs.  Add dry ingredients and bananas alternately to creamed mixture.  Mix well.

Pour into prepared loaf pans. (2 standard or 4 small)

Bake for 60 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Check after 30 min. for small pans)

 

I absolutely adore the Pampered Chef Measuring Spoon Set.  They're good and sturdy, but they have proven the most functional spoons I've ever used.  The design of the heads gets them in any spice jar, which you know is a really big deal.  Then there are these little flat parts on the back that let you set the spoons down and leave them full of liquid ingredients.  That's HUGE!

It's always a good idea to crack eggs into a small bowl before adding them to a recipe.  This helps you ensure there's no blood in the egg, but it also leaves you able to get shell out of the egg much more easily.  I used a 1-Cup Prep Bowl for this, and then I put all of the eggs in a Stainless Mixing Bowl for a quick whisking.

Mashing bananas is kind of annoying if you don't have the right tools, but the Mix 'n Chop makes it crazy easy.  This tool was specifically designed for cooking ground beef and sausage in a skillet, but I love it for all kinds of things outside the pan.  Mashing bananas, avocados, potatoes, and more.  Just scroll down to see what it did to this fruit in less than a minute!

Ok, ingredients are prepped and ready.  Bananas are in a Stainless Mixing Bowl, the flour mixture is in a Classic Batter Bowl, eggs are in another Stainless Mixing Bowl, and sugar is in a 2-Cup Prep Bowl.  I've got everything on my Large Cutting Board, which I use regularly to keep my counter clean while cooking.

The Stainless Mixing Bowls and the Scraper Collection are two of my favorite Pampered Chef lines.  Honestly, all three of the bowls and all five of the scrapers end up dirty every time I make a meal.  Then they all go right into the dishwasher for the next use... ah, dishwashers... What did people do without them?

Betsy and I used the Mini-Loaf Pan instead of the standard loaf pans because we each think minis are more convenient.  First of all, the baking time is shorter.  Secondly, you can share bread much more easily (That's important when you consider this is a whole lot of butter and sugar you don't need to keep around).  Lastly, it's super simple to enjoy one loaf and freeze the others for later.  This pan is from the Stoneware Collection, and like the rest of the pieces found there, it heats evenly and delivers perfect baking results.  No hard ends on your bread loaves!

Ok, so there you have it - the banana bread that may or may not be Kona's Famous but is definitely delicious.  Enjoy baking this for yourself or sharing it with a friend.  One tip for sharing: Take people the recipe because you will be asked for it; it's that good.

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