I love banana bread (and really anything with cooked bananas), but I've never had a go-to recipe. Which means that every time I make it, I scour the internet for what looks like the best version. Apparently they are never really memorable enough for me to save. I may be a wee bit picky in my banana bread standards: It needs to be moist and oh-so-soft on the inside, with no nuts or chocolate chips or anything breaking up the texture. I want it a little crispy on the outside with a chewy caramelized sugar topping. I prefer a buttery bread over one made with olive oil- there's just something about that dairy. Most of all, it needs to have that scrumptious cooked banana flavor.
Awhile back I made banana bread for a Family Game Night that we have every month at the community center where I work. I wanted a recipe that picky children and parents alike would enjoy. In my customary internet search, I found this recipe that Epicurious claimed as their favorite. Golly. We ate it still warm and steamy from the oven, and it was nothing short of perfection. This is not your semi-healthy-I can justify-eating-the-whole-loaf banana bread. You'll note that there is a stick of butter in here. But do me a favor. Make it once in it's all of it's delicious, Calorie-laden glory. Then, if you just can't handle the decadence, do your tweaks.
"Our Favorite Banana Bread" from Epicurious, with a few modifications:
Ingredients
4 ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 13 ounces- for me this was 3 med/large bananas)*
1/4 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), room temperature*
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
2 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 loaf pan with butter and dust lightly with flour.
2. Combine the mashed bananas, sour cream, and vanilla in a bowl. Sift together the dry ingredients into another bowl (flour through salt).
3. Beat the butter and brown sugar together until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time and beat until fully combined.
4. Add banana mixture and beat until just combined. Add dry ingredients in two batches, mixing until just combined. The less you mix, the less gluten will form, and the softer your bread will be.
5. If you're adding nuts, chocolate chips, etc., now is the time to gently fold 1/2 cup in.
6. Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Mix together the packed brown sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.
7. Bake, rotating halfway through, until the batter is set, top is dark brown and starting to crack, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean- 60 or so minutes.
8. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then use a butter knife to loosen the edges before tipping over to release the loaf. Transfer to a cooling rack or cutting board and let cool completely before slicing. (or, if you're impatient like me and you have a group who can eat the whole thing, just cut it open after another 15 minutes or so. If you're planning to save part of it, don't cut into it until it's cooled.)
*I think one of the keys to good banana bread is not using those super over-ripe brown bananas. You get better flavor with ones that are just very ripe. Keeping your bananas in the fridge when they start to turn will prevent super-browning for a week or two. If your bananas aren't as ripe as you want them to be, you can just microwave them for a bit before mashing. Works like a charm.
*I always use salted butter because I don't feel like buying unsalted. From what I understand, people use unsalted butter so that they can better control the salt levels. But I've never minded a little extra. (:
Now if you must go and make this bread healthy, here are a few suggestions:
- use 1/4 cup vanilla yogurt in place of sour cream (and reduce the amount of brown sugar)
- substitute 2/3 cup whole wheat flour for 2/3 cup of all-purpose
- cut down on the butter and sugar just a tad- maybe 6 T of butter instead of 8 and 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- adding 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans won't reduce Calories, but it will add a little extra nutrition
