Banana Bread

This is the banana bread I've always made and I love it. It is a recipe straight from my Betty Crocker cook book that I've had forever.

1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup mashed very ripe bananas
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of two 8-inch loaf pans.

Mix sugar and butter in large bowl. Stir in eggs until well blended. Stir in bananas, buttermilk, and vanilla; beat until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt until just moistened.

Divide batter evenly between pans and bake for about 1 hour. (I usually pull mine out at 45 minutes and they are perfect, so watch the time near the end of baking.) Cool 10 minutes in pans on wire rack.

Loosen sides of loaves from pans and remove from pans to continue cooling on wire rack. Wrap tightly and store at room temperature for up to 4 days, refrigerated up to 10 days.