"Noooooooo! Don’t throw me away!
I deserve another life in this delicious banana bread recipe!"
And we all have one, a banana bread recipe. If you think the recipe you have is just ok, well, here’s one you will love. If you love the recipe you have, well, this one just might change your mind.
One of my favorite bakeries is Flour. Unfortunately, it is too far from my home in California to visit often. So………the only solution was to buy the “Flour” cookbook by Joanne Chang, owner and pastry chef of Flour Bakery + Café in Boston, Massachusetts. Although there are many wonderful recipes in the book, the banana bread is one of my favorites. I sometimes even find myself buying extra bananas just to make this delightful treat.
I’m pretty sure that the moistness of this bread comes from the amount of banana added,
and the air beaten into the batter making it beautifully light and airy!
Enjoy!
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Flour's Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 3 1/2 very ripe medium bananas, peeled and mashed (about 1 1/3 cups)
- 2 Tablespoons crème fraîche or sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup walnut halves (optional), toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Position a rack in the center of the oven, and heat the oven to 325°F.
- Butter a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and the salt. Set aside.
- In your stand mixer using the whip attachment on medium speed, beat together the sugar and eggs (a hand mixer can also be used). Continue for about 5 minutes until light and fluffy. (This could take longer with a hand mixer.)
- On a low speed, add the oil very slowly (drizzle). This should take about one minute.
- On low speed, add the bananas, crème fraîche, and the vanilla.
- Using a spatula add the flour mixture and nuts and gently stir just to combine.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top with the spatula to make even.
- Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours until the top is golden brown. It is done when you gently press your finger in the middle and the bread springs back.
Notes
Gr8 Make-Ahead Tip:
To store the bread, wrap it in plastic wrap. It will keep for up to 3 days at room temperature or can be frozen for 2 - 3 weeks.Gr8 Tip:
If you happen to have more bananas than you need for the bread recipe, I like to cut them in 1 inch pieces and place them on a cookie sheet.
Cover the cookie sheet with plastic wrap and put into the freezer for an hour or until the bananas are frozen. Once frozen, put them into a plastic bag and use as needed to add to your smoothie or eat them as a snack right out of the bag!
Joanne Chang's Flour Cookbook is available from Amazon.com.
Kyle
So glad Dana that you are enjoying this recipe! Thank you for letting us know and thank you for being a Gr8 friend!
Dana Gylys
Making this a second time! Yummy!
Kyle
Yes, it is the bread you had this weekend. Glad you enjoyed it! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for being a Gr8 Friend Lee!
Lee orr
If this is the recipe for the bread you brought to the desert, all I can say is, Wow! Definitely the best recipe I've had yet and will replace Grandma Boyle's.