The Best Banana Bread

Kimke's Note:

This is a delicious banana bread recipe from one of my favorite, un-named cooking magazines. They test recipes again and again until they find the absolute BEST way to make something. Yummy and delicious!!

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 55 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 9-12

Yield: 1.0 loaf

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
• 3 large very ripe soft darkly speckled bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1/4 cup plain yogurt
• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside.
3. Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.
4. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl.
5. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky.
6. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes.
7. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack.
8. Serve warm or at room temperature.
9. Greasing and flouring only the bottom of a regular loaf pan causes the bread to cling to the sides and rise higher.
10. If using a nonstick loaf pan, on which the sides are very slick, grease and flour sides as well as the bottom.

Reviews

[Chef #1231759]

Super moist and great banana taste. Sometimes I use a little applesauce to cut down on the fat content. My kids love this bread.

[Chef #1446108]

I agree that this is the best banana bread recipe. It's totally worth it to toast the walnuts, or sometimes I use pecans.

[CindyMarie]

Excellent! Not too sweet and very moist. This is my standard Banana Bread recipe. I got it from the America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook - my favorite cookbook!