Happy #Nationalbananabreadday !!
While we can't share our super secret banana bread recipe, we love this one for its rich banana taste and moist texture!
Banana Bread with Toasted Walnuts
SERVES 8 – 10
For a basic banana bread recipe with deep banana flavor, plenty of moisture, and a nice, light texture, we used nicely brown-speckled bananas. We added yogurt to our banana bread recipe for a nice tang and even more moisture.
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 1 cup coarsely chopped & toasted walnuts
- 3 ripe bananas, many brown speckles, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
- ¼ cup plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled (but where it remains soft)
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
Grease a 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan with unsalted butter; place parchment on the bottom of the pan and butter it as well. Dust entire pan with flour. The parchment will help so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan, especially if you are using the chocolate chips, which tend to fall to the bottom.
Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees (325 if using convection or your pans are very dark).
Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl, saving ¼ cup of the walnuts for the top; set aside.
Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and
chunky; do not overmix, but make certain that your ingredients are incorporated nicely. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; toss the remaining walnuts on the top and stir in very lightly so they still show through on the top. Bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean,
about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Banana bread freezes very well if wrapped tightly.
Enjoy!
Adapted by Hungry Monkey from America’s Test Kitchen.
