Banana Bread

Directions

1. 1
   Put the golden raisins and rum or bourbon in a smallish saucepan and bring to the boil.
2. 2
   Remove from the heat, cover, and leave for an hour if you can, or until the raisins have absorbed most of the liquid, then drain.
3. 3
   Preheat the oven to 325F and get started on the rest.
4. 4
   Put the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium-sized bowl and, using your hands or a wooden spoon, combine well.
5. 5
   In a large bowl, mix the melted butter and sugar and beat until blended.
6. 6
   Beat in the eggs one at a time, then the mashed bananas.
7. 7
   Then, with your wooden spoon, stir in the walnuts, drained raisins, and vanilla extract.
8. 8
   Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, stirring well after each bit.
9. 9
   Scrape into the loaf pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 1-1 1/4 hours.
10. 10
    When its ready, an inserted toothpick or fine skewer should come out cleanish.
11. 11
    Leave in the pan on a rack to cool, and eat thickly or thinly sliced, as you prefer.
12. 12
    VARIATION
13. 13
    I havent done a tremendous amount of fiddling with this recipe, but I did once make it, for friends who are more chocolate-crazed than I am, by replacing 2 tablespoons of the flour with good cocoa powder and adding 4 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, cut up into smallish chunks.
14. 14
    And you could just as easily use the chocolate chips sold in the baking aisle of supermarkets.