Nana's Secret Banana Nut (Print)

Moist banana nut bread packed with ripe bananas and crunchy walnuts, baked to golden perfection.

# What You Need:

→ Wet Ingredients

01 - 3 large ripe bananas, mashed
02 - 2 large eggs, room temperature
03 - 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
04 - 1/2 cup buttermilk or milk
05 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

→ Dry Ingredients

06 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
09 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
10 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
11 - 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

→ Nuts

12 - 2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, plus extra for topping

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9x5-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, and vanilla extract until smooth.
03 - In a separate bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
04 - Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet mixture using a spatula. Stop when just combined to avoid overmixing.
05 - Fold in the chopped walnuts or pecans until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle extra nuts on top if desired.
07 - Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.
08 - Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crumb stays impossibly tender for days, not just the afternoon you bake it
  • That mix of brown and white sugar gives it a caramel depth most quick breads never reach
02 -
  • Overmixing is the number one way to end up with dense, tough bread instead of the tender loaf you want
  • Every oven runs differently, so start checking at the 50-minute mark rather than blindly trusting the timer
03 -
  • Mash your bananas with a fork instead of a blender to keep small chunks intact for better texture
  • If your bananas are not quite ripe enough, roast them at 300°F for 15 minutes with the peels on and they will sweeten dramatically

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