Roasting the bananas gives your banana bread such a wonderful deep banana flavor!
Prep Time15 minutesmins
Cook Time1 hourhr10 minutesmins
Course: Bread, Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bananas, Quick Bread
Servings: 20
Author: Sue Moran
Ingredients
Bread
5-6medium bananas, unpeeledthey can be ripe, or very ripe
4cupsall-purpose flour
2teaspoonsbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
1teaspoonsalt
3tablespoonsbuttermilk
1tablespoonvanilla extract
1tablespoonfreshly squeezed lemon juice
1cupunsalted butter, at room temperature
2cupssugar
2large eggs, at room temperature
2 1/2cupswalnut halves and pieces or trail mix (dried fruit and nut mixture)
Butter Topping
4 tablespoonsunsalted butter, melted
granulated or sparkling sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°.
Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange the bananas on it. Bake for 30 minutes. The bananas will get black and oozy. Let them cool for 15 minutes, the peel and mash the bananas. Set aside. You should have about 2 cups.
Turn the oven down to 325°. Lightly grease and line 2 standard 9 x 5 loaf pans with parchment. The parchment should have long ends hanging off the sides you you can lift the bread out later for slicing.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
In a separate bowl, whish the mashed bananas, buttermilk, vanilla and lemon juice.
Cream the butter in a stand mixer, on high 3-5 minutes. Scrape down the sides and add the sugar to the mixer, beat on high for another 5-7 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, on low, scraping down the bowl as needed to get everything incorporated. Beat in the wet ingredients, just until fully blended. Then add the flour and mix just until combined with no white flour remaining.
With the mixer on low, fold in the nuts (or fruit and nut mixture). Remove the bowl from the mixer and finish with a silicone spatula, taking care to get any unmixed ingredients from the bottom of the bowl.
Turn the batter into two prepared loaf pans and spread out evenly. Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until the bread has risen, is slightly golden and when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out without any wet batter on it.
While the bread is hot from the oven, brush with the melted butter and sprinkle liberally with sugar. Let cool for 15 minutes, and then remove the bread from the pans to cool further.
Makes 2 loaves to serve 20.
Delicious sliced warm and slathered with butter. My favorite way to enjoy this bread is to toast it, then slather with butter and maybe a drizzle of honey.
Notes
I made one loaf with the nuts and fruit and one without - so that everyone is happy!