Banana Bread
The Nitty Gritty:
This moist, delectable bread is a snap to put together.- Level: 1
- Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus 1 hour in the oven
- Yields: Serves a crowd
- Tags: brunch bread breakfast
Brunch get-togethers are highly underrated. Sure, you could go out, but why not whip up a big platter of scrambled eggs or a simple frittata at home? Serve with warm slices of this bread, some fresh fruit, and coffee and juice. Piece of cake — and a great change of pace.
Ingredients:
- 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 2 whole ripe bananas, the browner the better
- 3 ½ Tbsp. sour cream
- ¾ tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened -- or cooking spray -- to grease the pan
- Mix the batter with a wooden spoon until just combined
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Rub 1 Tbsp. softened butter on the bottom and sides of a 9"x5"x2 3/4" loaf pan, using a paper towel to smear the butter as evenly as possible. Dump ¼ c. flour in the greased pan. Shake the pan to coat the sides and bottom, then discard extra flour by shaking pan upside down over sink. Tap sides and bottom to remove excess.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together with a wooden spoon. Add the egg, beating well until combined.
Add flour into the large bowl in three parts, beating to combine between each addition.
Peel the bananas. On a large plate or in a shallow dish, mash them with a fork. Add the sour cream and vanilla to the banana mush, and stir with the fork until combined.
Scrape the banana-sour cream mixture into the large bowl. Mix with wooden spoon until just combined – do not overstir.
Pour batter into the pan, scraping the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Use the spatula to smooth the top of the batter in the pan.
Bake at 325 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Insert a toothpick into the center to test -- if it comes out clean, the bread is done. Let cool in pan for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge to loosen and carefully invert pan to remove loaf. Finish cooling on a wire rack.
If you've got room in the freezer, this bread keeps really well. (Make a double batch and freeze one -- just be sure to use three eggs instead of two if you double the recipe.) Wrap the cooled loaf in aluminum foil, seal in a plastic freezer bag, and freeze for up to three months.
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By Alison L. McConnell
Alison L. McConnell is a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. A native of New Jersey and upstate New York, she attended Bowdoin College in Maine and the London School of Economics before settling in Washington, where she works as a financial reporter, food freelancer, and studies at L’Academie de Cuisine. Some of her favorite things to make are risottos, roast chickens, and cakes. She abides by a long-standing family motto: McConnells always finish their desserts.
About The Humble Gourmand
The Humble Gourmand is published the first Friday of each month, edited by Alison L. McConnell, a Washington, D.C.-based journalist and writer. It is designed to offer straightforward lessons and advice to aspiring cooks, oenophiles, and all other eaters and drinkers.
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