STEPHENSON'S APPLE FARM RESTAURANT'S BANANA BREAD

I wish that Stephenson's Apple Farm Restaurant had not closed before we moved here. I'm not sure when the one in the Northland closed, but the restaurant in Independence closed in 2007. It originally opened in 1946. That's a long time.

I found their small cookbook, Stephenson's Apple Farm Restaurant Receipts, at an estate sale a few weeks ago. I knew I already had one but it was only 50 cents and I wasn't sure if it were the same one. Turns out it is and it isn't. The one I had was printed in 1987 (Twelfth Printing). This one was a first edition from 1967. I haven't checked each recipe, but they added a recipe for Fresh Apple Pie in somewhere in between. Another reason I wanted to buy this "new" one was the lady who owned it had written personal notes with the recipes that she had made. She wrote "Excellent" by this recipe for Banana Bread and I certainly agree with her.

I did make one change to the recipe (besides adding the flour mixture and banana mixture at the wrong times - don't think it ruined the taste of it though). I have recently been trying to reduce our sugar intake and have been reading a post from King Arthur Flour about reducing the sugar in recipes. They recommend experimenting with the sugar by reducing it 10% to see if it makes a difference in the recipe. That means removing 6 teaspoons per cup. I did try it with this recipe feeling the natural sweetness of the bananas would make up the difference. Well, it was plenty sweet and the consistency was good. I am thinking of reducing it 6 more teaspoonfuls the next time I make it. That would make it 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup.

PRINT RECIPE.

STEPHENSON'S APPLE FARM RESTAURANT'S BANANA BREAD

1/2       cup shortening
1           cup sugar (3/4 cup sugar works also)
2          eggs
1           teaspoon vanilla
2          cups unsifted flour
1/4       teaspoon salt
1           teaspoon baking soda
1           tablespoon buttermilk
4          ripe bananas, mashed (about 1-1/4 cups) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 x 5 x 3 - inch loaf pan.

Cream shortening and sugar.

Beat in eggs and vanilla.

Sift together the flour and salt.

Blend into egg mixture. 

Add baking soda to buttermilk

and then mix with bananas. 





Blend into flour mixture lightly. 

Do not overmix.

(I mixed the banana mixture to the egg mixture

and then added the flour instead of the way the directions read.)

Pour into loaf pan

and bake about 1 hour.

I cooled it about 10 minutes before removing it from the pan.

I didn't take a picture, but after it cooled a while on the rack, I wrapped it in foil and waited until the next day before cutting it.

I took the loaf still wrapped to CO when we went to visit our older son and his family. I told my grandchildren what it was (since they couldn't see it because of the foil) and that it didn't have any nuts in it (the girls have peanut allergies). The second day I was cutting me a piece and asked them if they wanted one. Grandson Colby said right away that he would like one and so did Granddaughter Sadie. Granddaughter Hallie was hesitant and took a small piece, really just a bite or two. Before I could rewrap the loaf, Hallie said, "I'll take a little more." When we left, there was one slice still left. I told my son Jeffrey that I knew they liked it, but I wanted to take it so I could eat it on the way home. I haven't had time to make it again since we got home. I am waiting for my bananas to ripen more. 

If you would like to check out another recipe from Stephenson's Apple Farm Restaurant, check out this post - Apple Farm Cake .