Blueberry Banana Bread

A vivid childhood memory of mine is of when one of my best friends would bring blueberry banana bread to school. It was always wrapped up in foil and only because she was my very best friend, she would occasionally break off a little piece and give it to me. It was like those commercials where all the little kids are gathered around the one that brought a Jello pudding snack for lunch and they are all trying to be his best friend just so that he will give them the lid to lick clean. We were really best friends though, which is why she would usually break off that little piece for me. This blueberry banana bread was not easily shared.

This bread has become a Hanson family staple. In fact, I can't even really remember my mom or dad making banana bread without the addition of blueberries. I was probably upper elementary when I wrote this recipe down for the first time over the phone with my friend. That was back in my early baking days of not being able to spell (not that I'm a great speller now), so the recipe I still use calls for "surge" instead of sugar (I'm gonna blame the dyslexic tendencies on that one) and "vanille" (which I have absolutely no excuse for).

Blueberries and bananas is one of my favorite combinations when it comes to quick breads. If I ever eat just banana bread or just a blueberry muffin, then I feel like something essential has been left out. The thing that makes this bread especially nice is the hardest thing about it: the wait factor. Sure, there are few things that beat a warm slice of bread topped with some butter but wrapping this bread and letting it sit makes it even more moist and flavorful, if that is even possible. Of course, you don't have to do this, but it is the trick that made my friend's mom's bread so good. 

Blueberry Banana Bread

Makes 1 loaf

1 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 stick or 1/2 cup butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 to 4 very ripe bananas

1/2 pint fresh blueberries

course sugar, optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Set aside until needed. 

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until light, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the egg and mix until thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla. 

3. In a separate bowl, mash or beat the bananas just until they are broken up. I like to still have small chunks instead of a cohesive mix. 

4. Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients. Use a spatula or a large spoon to stir the mixture together. Add in the flour all at once and fold until the batter is smooth, making sure not to overmix. Gently fold in the blueberries. 

5. Place the batter in a greased loaf pan and sprinkle the top with the course sugar, if using. Bake in the oven for 55-60 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. 

6. Allow the bread to cool or 5 to 10 minutes in the pan, and then remove the bread from the pan to a wire cooling rack. When the bread is still slightly warm, wrap it tightly in foil and let it rest for 8 hours or overnight on you kitchen counter or in your refrigerator. If you are not going to eat the whole loaf in a day or two, I reccommend storing the leftovers in the fridge until it is gone. Enjoy!