Best Ever Banana Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups mashed bananas, very ripe (3 to 4 medium)
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup nuts, chopped (optional)

Preparation

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4-inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5-inch) loaf pan.
In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
Stir in flour, baking soda, salt, and nuts just until moistened. Pour batter into pans.
Bake 8-inch loaves 1 hour, 9-inch loaf 1 1/4 hours, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Loosen sides of loaves from pans; remove from pans to cooling rack. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.
****High Altitude (3500-6500 feet): Increase flour to 2 3/4 cups. In step 1, heat oven to 375 degrees. In step 2, add 1/4 cup water with buttermilk. bake 8-inch loaves about 1 hour 5 min, 9-inch loaf about 1 hour 30 minute.