Banana Bread with Walnuts

This easy recipe for making a perfect, moist, delicious banana bread that has the rich, nutty flavor of lightly toasted walnuts. I have also, on occasion added lightly toasted slivered almonds to make it extra nutty and sometimes chocolate morsels, although I think it makes the bread to sweet. Your option.

Banana Bread with Walnuts

Marsha Klein

An easy recipe to make a great banana bread (my favorite) with the texture and rich, nutty flavor of walnuts. Very adaptable, you can throw in anything you like, raisins craisins, almonds, chocolate, shredded coconut. The health conscious can use whole wheat flour.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 1 loaf

Calories 215 kcal

Equipment

• stand mixer with paddle attachment
• loaf pan (I use Pyrex)

Ingredients

  

• 1½ cups all purpose flour - sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¾ cup walnuts - toasted, chopped
• ½ cup unsalted butter - 1 stick, room temperature
• ¾ cup light brown sugar - packed, Turbinado sugar optional
• 2 lg eggs -
• ½ cup sour cream or plain yogurt - optional
• 1-1½ cups mashed bananas - 3 to 4 bananas mashed with a fork (see Rob's Little Secret)
• 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1½ teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

 

Toasting Walnuts

• Preheat the oven to 350 ° F. Place the nuts on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for about 7 to 8 minutes for harder nuts like pecans, walnuts and almonds, until fragrant and golden brown or one shade darker, stirring once.

Banana Bread

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Butter and flour a 9 by 5-inch Pyrex or metal loaf pan. Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the flour the toasted walnuts and toss to coat.
• In a stand mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until well blended. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Beat in the mashed bananas, lemon juice, and vanilla (Here is where you can add the sour cream or yogurt if you choose.). Slowly add and beat in flour mixture. Don't over mix. If you do the bread will flatten and end up heavy.
• Remove from mixer and with a spatula fold in the nuts so they are evenly distributed.
• Bake the bread until a tester (I use a wooden a wooden skewer) inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 5 minutes. Check after 50 minutes, just to be safe. Turn out onto a rack and cool.
• Remove the pan from the oven and set on a wire cooling rack. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the bread and carefully remove from the pan. Let the bread cool on the wire cooling rack until slightly warm. Cut into slices and serve.Turn out onto a rack and cool.

Notes

The banana bread will keep on the counter, wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. This bread also freezes well. To freeze, cool the bread completely and wrap in plastic wrap and place in a freezer bag. Freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost before slicing.

Rob’s Little Secret: When my fresh bananas start to turn on my counter, I throw three or four of them into the freezer to freeze for future use. They will turn almost black, but don’t let that scare you. When you decide to make your banana bread, take them out, defrost them and then cutting off one end you can squeeze the soft liquidy banana contents into a bowl using the skin like toothpaste tube. Add to your batter at the appropriate time. By freezing the bananas, you get a much riper, richer banana flavor from them.

Keyword banana, bread, chocolate, dessert, walnuts