Ingredients
1/2 cup (1 cube) real butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour (can use gluten free or a mix of the two)
2-3 bananas (I use overly ripened bananas that I tossed in the freezer to save for baking. Make sure to thaw them before baking--they will be mushy and runny!)
dash of salt-optional
2-3 Tbs ground flaxseed--optional
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Butter and flour a bread loaf pan or, for muffins, grease a muffin tin.
In a stand mixer, beat the butter for about a minute on medium speed. Add the sugar and continue to beat for another couple of minutes. Scrape down the sides of bowl and add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between each egg.
When the batter is well blended, add the bananas. If they aren't super ripe or thawed from the freezer, mash them with a fork first so they blend better.
Include the baking powder, soda, and salt if desired. If you opt for salted butter, there is no need to add salt. Stir for a few more seconds to make sure everything is well combined. Incorporate the flaxseed if using. Gradually add the flour at a low speed, one cup at a time, and mix thoroughly until the batter is somewhat smooth, remembering to scrape down the sides. It may appear slightly lumpy because of the bananas, but make sure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Pour batter into bread loaf pan or muffin tins. If using 2 bananas, you will get about 12 muffins, if you are using 3 bananas, you can still get about 12 muffins but they will be slightly bigger. Or make smaller ones and get about 15 muffins.
Bake the bread in the oven for about 60 minutes. It may take 10 minutes longer if the bananas are larger than average due to more batter being produced. For muffins, bake for about 20-25 minutes, checking at about the 20min mark.
Options:
You can add a spoonful of pumpkin puree or a 1/2 cup shredded zucchini when you add the eggs to the batter.
If you add chocolate chips, fold them into the batter at the very end. Add walnuts to the batter if you'd like.
You can also top the batter with a few tablespoons of rolled oats and/or pumpkin seeds (pepitas) before baking to give a nice small crunch and extra nutrients to the bread.