The Best Damn Banana Nut Bread

Waste not want not, or so the saying goes right?  Well this Banana Nut Bread recipe became a mainstay in my home after one too many rotten bananas were tossed into the garbage.  Probably because of the way I was raised, I really do not like wasting food.  And let’s face it, especially when it comes to fresh produce, it can be pretty darn challenging at times.  It is now, by far, the most requested item my daughter (and her roommate) asks me to send themin a care package at college.  When you make it, you will see why…it is sooooooo moist, like ridiculously moist, and paired with the crunch of the walnuts… YUMMO! Ready to make this? I am!

How to Make Banana Nut Bread

What you will need…

Most of the ingredients you will need to make this Banana Walnut Bread are probably already in your pantry and fridge:

flour, butter, eggs, sugar and salt,

cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, baking powder & baking soda…

You may need to get run out and get the walnuts and the bananas, but that’s probably about it.  Just make sure the bananas are good and ripe, not completely brown skins (otherwise they will have too much sugar in them and your banana bread will get over-browned when baking.)  Aim for something like this…

First, the dry ingredients get mixed in a small bowl and get set to the side. Make sure you whisk everything together really well so it is evenly distributed.  Don’t add in the nuts just yet… all in due time.

Now for the wet ingredients.  In a large bowl, with the back of a fork, cream together the butter and sugar.  Then stir in the eggs – make sure you mix everything well.  

Now for the bananas.  What I like to do is to smush (that’s a weird word.. lol) the bananas while still in their skins, and do this gently otherwise they may pop open on you and make a mess… been there, done that.  Then peel them and put the banana into a glass measuring cup to make sure you can see the correct amount – more is not better here.  Mash the banana up a little more so there aren’t any large pieces…keep adding in banana until you have 1 1/2 cups.

Now add the banana, vanilla and water to the butter and sugar mixture. With an electric or hand mixer, beat for about 30-40 seconds.  If you do not have either of these mixers, just make sure you really mix it well and do not leave any big pieces of banana and you should be fine.  Next, add in the dry ingredients about a third at a time into the wet mixture, stirring well with each addition until everything is combined.  Last but not least, gently mix in the walnuts.  Pour the batter into your pan, ideally an 8.5″ x 4.5″ loaf pan, bottom greased and lightly dusted with flour.  Top with a few walnuts if you want, and why wouldn’t you?? Now you are ready to pop it into a 350° oven. 

Generally this takes just about an hour to bake.  However, it can vary, so you’ll want to keep your eye on it, especially towards the end.  I always start watching mine around the 45 minute mark.  It’s not going to be done yet at this point, mostly I am checking it for color.  If it looks like it is already a nice golden brown color, many times I will place a piece of foil of the top of the pan while it finishes baking to prevent it from getting too dark.   Once you hit the 50 minute mark, start testing every 10 minutes until your tester comes out clean.  Make sure you test from the center of the loaf… 

Let the bread cool for about 10 minutes before you try getting it out of the pan.  After you remove it from the loaf pan, feel free to sneak a slice before anyone else… you do have to test it to make sure it is OK after-all. 🙃

Better yet, try a slice of your freshly baked Banana Walnut Bread with this Honey Cinnamon Latte – double yum!  Enjoy!

❤️, 👑🐝

— This is an update of a previous post—