Best Ever Banana Bread

Everyone needs a go-to banana bread. If you are still without one, give this one a try and I promise you’ll never look back.

This recipe comes from Flour, my favorite bakery in Boston. I used to make Saturday morning pilgrimages out to the South End branch when I lived in the city, and it is one of the few places that I refuse to skip whenever I make a visit. Their banana bread is one of my favorite things on the menu, and it is far more moist and banana-y than any other recipe I’ve tried.

To really bring out the flavor in this recipe, make sure that you whisk the eggs and sugars on medium for at least five minutes. I ignored this direction during my first trial with this recipe, and it just didn’t taste the same.  The nuts are optional, but I never skip them.  If anything, add something additional, like chocolate chips!

As a side note, this bread makes a great gift.  The banana flavor only gets stronger with age, and I’ve been told that the bread tastes even better 2-3 days later.

Flour’s Famous Banana Bread Recipe (adapted from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery + Cafe)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 3 large, very ripe bananas
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup walnut halves, toasted and chopped

Instructions:

1. Set oven to 325 degrees.
2. Mix together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. Set up the stand mixer with the whisk attachment (this was the first time that I used mine!).  Whisk together sugar and eggs on medium speed for at least 5 minutes.
4. Turn mixer speed down to low/stir.  SLOWLY add oil to the bowl (don’t just dump it in! This will ruin the wonderful puffiness of the egg+sugar mixture).
5. Peel bananas and mash them with a fork. Add bananas, along with sour cream and vanilla to the bowl.
6. Turn mixture off.  Using a wooden spoon, fold in the flour mixture.   Mix as little as possible at this point, but make sure that the flour is fully incorporated.
7. Pour the batter into a buttered 9″x5″ loaf pan.  Slide into the oven and bake for 60 to 75 minutes.  Test the loaf for doneness by pressing down on the top crust.  If it is fully cooked, the crust will spring back towards your finger.