Banana-Nut Bread

I recently bought another 9x5 loaf pan, which, on the very next day, went to work baking this banana nut bread. Reading through numerous quick bread/cake recipes have made me in want of two loaf pans, instead of one. I have to tell you- there's a lemon loaf recipe from Baked that looks like pure sunshine-y amazingness. Its recipe yields two loaves. I now have two loaf pans. I'm on it. So what if now I have one glass pan and one metal pan? Hope my oven will be forgiving and heat distribution won't be an issue. (Yeah, it will.)

Oh yeah, the banana bread.

I'm fond of banana bread. Even if it was the featured post at the genesis of my blog, with terrible food photography. I like it for its simplicity. It doesn't require a lot of you. Prep, mix, and bake.

It's baker-friendly. And super yummy.

Banana bread is the most forgiving bread I know. It's too easy to bake banana bread, and it's a joy to make for the first or the fifth time. One lesson learned, though, is not to mash the bananas haphazardly. You want them thoroughly and evenly mashed with your whisk or fork or blender. Otherwise you have spots of banana in your bread that might be mistaken for incomplete baking.

I used walnuts, but feel free to experiment with nuts of your choice.

Excellent bread, this.

I wrapped huge slices as gifts. Only generous slices work as gifts.


Banana-Nut Bread

*makes one 9-inch loaf*

Ingredients:

•  2 large bananas
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 1 Tbsp grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 6 Tbsps unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup whole milk

Directions:

1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 350 F. Butter and flour a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan.
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas. you should have 1 1/3 cups. In a separate bowl, stir together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, orange zest, and nuts. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs until blended and stir in the brown sugar, butter, and milk. Add the dry ingredients in 3 batches alternately with the bananas and stir with a rubber spatula just until the batter is moistened. 
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the rubber spatula. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 55-60 minutes. If the surface starts to brown too much, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
5. transfer to a wire rack and let cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn out onto the rack  and cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 2-3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. 

From Williams-Sonoma Essentials of Baking