Sour Cream-Blueberry Bread

Merry belated Christmas to everyone! This weekend has been a giant blur of holiday warmth and enjoyment. I spent most of it with my family, but yesterday with some friends, but honestly, this weekend just rushed by me. The weekend that's coming up is another one that I'm expecting to fly by: New Year's Eve/New Year's with friends, January 2nd with Lady Gaga, the 3rd with my parents. I already have my outfits for each day, and let's just say, I'll definitely be ending 2009 with a bang! This year has definitely been one of many changes and one of new experiences. I met an amazing group of people that are now my closest friends. I got closer to some of my ever-present friends, and drifted away from others. I learned so many things about myself that I never knew before. I experienced love/hate/like/dislike/amazement/utter joy/sadness. All I hope for is that 2010 will be just as amazing, or even more, than this year. I've been using a lot of my time today and will be using a lot of the coming days before the 31st to bake up a storm. I started it off with this recipe from Williams-Sonoma: Bread. It's made with bananas, so I guess you can say it's a type of banana bread, but one of the key features of this recipe is the vanilla.

"VANILLA EXTRACT: The evocative flavor of vanilla is a favorite in quick breads. Always buy pure vanilla extract (essence), never imitation, for the best flavor and quality. Look for dusky Bourbon vanilla, bottled in Madagascar, or Tahitian vanilla, which has a lighter, more floral flavor and aroma."

Sour Cream-Blueberry Bread
*makes one 9-by-5-inch loaf*

Ingredients:
2 medium-ripe bananas
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
1 heaping cup fresh blueberries

Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
2) Mash the bananas well with a fork or coarsely purée them in a food processor. Measure out 1 cup and set aside.
3) In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nuts. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sour cream, vanilla, butter, and the 1 cup mashed banana pulp. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the banana mixture. Stir together the wet and dry ingredients just until combined. The batter should be slightly lumpy. Gently fold in the blueberries, taking care not to break them up. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake until the top of the bread is firm to the touch and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50-60 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 30 minutes. Turn the loaf out onto the rack and let cool completely.

If you want to print this recipe out, go here to its link on the Williams-Sonoma site.