Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Banana-y Banana Bread



This banana bread isn't for everyone. It's for the real banana lovers, the ones who love anything and everything banana. I think the key to a great banana bread is that it's moist and actually tastes like the fruit it's named after. I can't count how many times have I've excitedly reached for a slice, only to find it dry and tasteless. Here, I add an extra banana to combat both those issues. After experimenting with several recipes, I came up with this concoction for a simple to make and moist banana bread.
  • 4 medium bananas, really ripe, mashed
  • 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1/3 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
  • pinch of salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In large bowl, cream sugar and butter. I found that brown sugar doesn't whisk into the butter as easily as white sugar does, so use a wooden spoon instead. If you find the brown sugar and butter start clumping, use the flat side of the spoon.

In separate smaller bowl, whisk egg and vanilla. Add to the creamed sugar and butter. Then add flour, baking soda and a pinch of salt, and stir just until wet and dry ingredients are combined. Fold in walnuts. Note: too much stirring and you will end up with a dense loaf, so don't over-stir!


Evenly spray a 9"x5" loaf pan with non-stick spray coating. Pour batter into pan and bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. I would check a few spots with this particular recipe, as you might just be hitting a piece of banana and not the actual bread. Cool on rack, then transfer to plate and serve. (Though my mom and I sliced off a couple of piping hot pieces and they were amazing right out of the oven!)

Perfect with coffee or tea, I could eat this everyday. Hope you enjoy!