This recipe combines the best elements of various popular banana bread recipes to create a perfectly balanced, easy-to-make breakfast loaf that's sweet, nutty, and moist
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1⅔ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for pan
- 4 medium very ripe bananas (about 13 ounces), peeled and mashed
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- ½ cup chopped toasted walnuts
Tools
- 9 x5 loaf pan
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan with butter and dust with flour, tapping out any excess.
- Combine mashed banana, sour cream, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar on medium speed in another large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3½ minutes. Add eggs one at a time and beat on medium speed until fully combined, about 1 minute each. Add banana mixture and beat until just combined, about 30 seconds. Add dry ingredients in 2 batches, beating on low after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl if necessary, until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds per batch. Fold in walnuts. Transfer batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
- Bake, rotating halfway through, until the batter is set, the top is dark golden brown and starting to crack, the sides are starting to pull away from the pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 60–65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 15 minutes. Run a butter knife around the perimeter of the pan to loosen the loaf, then tap the pan gently on its side until the loaf releases. Transfer to a cutting board or plate and let cool completely before slicing.
Note
Banana bread can be baked, cooled, then wrapped in plastic and left at room temperature for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 3 months.