marydukecooks.com

When my children were young, they would not eat banana bread containing nuts. Now that the kids are grown, Doc and I can eat whatever we like! This banana bread has many layers of flavor. Ripe mashed bananas caramelize as they cook briefly in the microwave. Lightly toasted walnuts add a delightful crunch. The bonus is this banana bread is ultra-moist. The secret? Wrap the loaf in plastic wrap as soon as it comes out of the oven and cool completely before cutting. Trust me, this is difficult to do because the aroma is so enticing! The result?  Every slice will be moist whether on day one, day two or day three!

Walnut Banana Bread

1 cup mashed bananas from 2-3 ripe bananas
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon iodized salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ cup canola oil
¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon whole buttermilk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ cup chopped walnuts, lightly toasted in 325ºF oven 3-5 minutes

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Cut a piece of parchment paper long enough to cover bottom and both 9-inch sides of loaf pan, leaving enough overhang to use as handles. Spray pan and parchment paper with non-stick spray.

Microwave bananas in a medium bowl 1 ½ minutes to caramelize. Set aside.

Mix dry ingredients together with a wire whisk in a large bowl. Add eggs, oil, buttermilk, vanilla, and toasted nuts to bowl containing bananas. Mix until smooth. Add banana mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until smooth and no large lumps of flour remain.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Bake 60-70 minutes (1 to 1 hour 10 minutes). Banana bread is done when toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean. Remove bread from pan using parchment paper handles. Immediately wrap bread in plastic wrap. Cool completely before cutting.

Published in The News and Neighbor on February 26, 2020.