Peggy's Famous A-Z Bread

One of my favorite smells is my Mom's (Peggy) Famous A-Z Bread baking in the oven.  I have memories of this scent in all of the homes I ever lived in.  It is a piece of my childhood.

A-Z Bread?  Ah, yes.  A-Z Bread.  Most of the time that means Banana Bread for me.  But you can put whatever you want in it.  While we were very little, my mom was known to put leftover baby food in there.  Apples (or apple sauce), Bananas, Cranberries... all the way to Zucchinis.  This recipe is a fabulous way to use leftovers.

Even nicer?  It is a quick bread.  No scary yeast to worry about.  Seriously, this recipe is pretty fool proof.  You can even mix different items together.  I often have over ripe bananas, but not quite enough for the recipe, so I add some apple sauce to make up the difference.  And it makes two loaves of bread, eat one now and throw the other in the freezer for when you are having company overnight!

Peggy's Famous A-Z Bread

3c Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Cinnamon
2 c Sugar
2 c A-Z (*note for apples and cranberries use 3c) mashed/grated/diced
3 tsp Vanilla
3 Eggs
1 c Vegetable/Canola Oil
1c Chopped Nuts (Optional)

Directions:
1.  Sift dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2.  Beat eggs.  Add oil and sugar.  Cream well.
3.  Add A-Z and vanilla
4.  Add dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  Mix well.
5.  Add nuts (optional).  Mix well
6.  Spoon into two greased loaf pans.

Bake at 325 degrees for an hour.

Enjoy!

Ingredients (after I mashed four bananas)

Consistency is more like batter than dough

About to go in the oven!

Your house now smells delicious!

And now your children are pulling down your pants begging for banana bread!