Gail Wente's Banana Coffee Bread

 I picked up this wonderful banana bread recipe from Gail Wente when I worked at the Portsmouth Daily Times, in Portsmouth, Ohio.

Gail was the secretary there, and one of the kindest people I ever met. My favorite memory of her was her discreet handling of the sign-out board.  We had this big whiteboard we were supposed to use whenever we went out of the office, marking when we expected to be back so people calling for us might know when we would return to the office. My name was toward the top, in the place of whoever I replaced. Gail saw me dragging a chair over to reach it.  She didn't say a word.  But the next day, the list had been rearranged, according to height.

Here's her banana bread recipe - it's almost as sweet as she is.

1/2 Cup shortening

1 Cup sugar

2 eggs

3/4 Cup mashed ripe (or overripe) bananas. It's about two bananas.

1 1/4 Cup flour

3/4 teaspoon soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.

Stir in banana. Sift together dry ingredients and add them to the mixture. Mix well.

Pour into greased 9x9x2-inch pan, or two loaf pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes (in theory.  Last time, it took my oven an hour, but I was using a glass loaf pan that was much deeper.). When a toothpick comes out clean, or a thermometer reads 205 degrees, it's done.