Bread: Cream Cheese Banana-Nut Bread

From Jackie Schuler

Ingredients
1 ¼ cup chopped pecans, divided
¼ cup butter, softened
8 oz package (1/3 less fat) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 ½ cups whole wheat flour
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 ½ cups mashed very ripe bananas (about four medium bananas)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place ¾ cup pecans in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake 12-15 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring after 6 minutes.

Beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, eating until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating just until blended after each addition.

Combine whole wheat flour and next four ingredients; gradually add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in bananas, ¾ cup toasted pecans, and vanilla. Spoon batter into two greased and floured 8 x 4-inch loaf pans. Sprinkle with remaining ½ cup pecans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until a long wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean and sides of bread pull away from pan, shielding with aluminum foil during last 15 minutes to prevent excessive browning, if necessary. Cool bread in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks. Let cool 30 minutes.

Note: To make ahead, proceed with recipe, cooling loaves completely and tightly wrapping with plastic wrap. Wrap again with aluminum foil. Freeze up to one month.