There are plenty of banana bread recipes out there, but not all are really great. Here are two really good recipes. The first recipe is my favorite I have been making a few years. It comes from a great cookbook from Laura Zahn, Innkeepers’ Best Quick Breads. I am also including a link to another great banana bread recipe from King Arthur Flour that I have made twice and really enjoyed.
Banana bread lasts a few days at room temperature without drying out; otherwise, it freezes well. This first recipe makes either two loaves or one Bundt pan. This calls for powdered buttermilk and water and milk. I substitute buttermilk for all three ingredients because I always have real buttermilk on hand.
An option I love for all quick breads and muffins is to put a streusel on the top and bottom of the bread. Or, put streusel on the bottom and then put a cinnamon-sugar-butter mixture on top as soon as it comes out of the oven. I don’t use a recipe for streusel; I just mix equal amounts of flour and sugar along with cinnamon and then add melted butter (maybe 1/4-1/3 as much as the flour sugar mixture) until it looks crumbly yet moist. Chopped nuts, coconut and/or oats can be added too. Then I sprinkle it in the bottom of the greased pan before adding the batter and then add some more to the top of the batter. It is delicious but also makes it messy to cut into. I learned the bottom streusel trick from Costco. They used to sell some wonderful muffins that the bottoms were the best part and I found out it was streusel. The other option is to mix 1 tablespoon melted butter with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar, then spread over hot bread.
BANANA WALNUT BREAD
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (2 cups white and 1/2 cup whole wheat, if desired)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 heaping tablespoon powdered buttermilk *
- 2/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup water *
- 3 large, ripe bananas, cut into chunks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup milk *
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* Or, substitute 2/3 cup buttermilk for these three items and add with oil and bananas.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease a Bundt pan or two 8 1/4 x 4 1/4 -inch loaf pans.
Sift into a mixing bowl the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and powdered buttermilk.
Add oil, water (or buttermilk), bananas and vanilla. Beat with electric mixer at regular speed for two minutes.
Add milk and eggs. Beat for two more minutes. Fold in walnuts.
Bake for one hour (or 50 minutes if two loaf pans are used) or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Do not open the oven during baking for at least 45 minutes. Turn oven off and leave in the oven for 10 minutes. {I’m not sure if I do that. It may overcook if left in a hot oven.} Loosen bread and turn out of pan to cool on wire rack. Let cool completely before storing.
KING ARTHUR FLOUR BANANA BREAD
http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/banana-bread-recipe