Description
Ina Garten’s banana nut bread showcases rich, moist flavors from ripe bananas and crunchy walnuts. Bakers can create this classic comfort treat with simple ingredients and straightforward mixing techniques.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 bananas (soft, very ripe, darkly speckled), mashed (about 1.5 cups)
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1.75 cups (437.5 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- 0.5 cup (118 ml) unsalted butter, melted
- 0.5 cup (100 g) granulated sugar
- 0.5 cup (110 g) light brown sugar, lightly packed
- 0.25 cup (60 ml) buttermilk
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 0.5 tsp fine salt
- 0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
- Preparation: Warm the oven to 175°C (350°F) and thoroughly grease a 23 x 13 centimeters loaf pan with butter, ensuring complete interior coverage.
- Dry Mixture: In a large bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg until uniformly combined.
- Wet Mixture: In another bowl, blend eggs, melted butter, buttermilk, brown sugar, vanilla, and mashed bananas until smooth and integrated.
- Batter Fusion: Create a central well in the dry ingredients and gently pour wet mixture into it. Fold ingredients together using a spatula, mixing just until flour is incorporated to maintain a delicate texture.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the surface and tapping to eliminate air pockets. Bake in the preheated oven for 60-65 minutes, checking doneness with a toothpick that should emerge clean.
- Cooling Stage: After baking, let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Allow the banana nut bread to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Prevent Overmixing: Gently fold wet and dry ingredients just until combined to keep the bread tender and prevent a tough, dense texture.
- Ensure Banana Ripeness: Use overripe, heavily speckled bananas for maximum sweetness and deeper flavor complexity.
- Perfect Baking Test: Use the toothpick method to check doneness – it should come out clean with minimal to no crumbs when inserted into the bread’s center.
- Room Temperature Cooling: Allow the bread to cool completely on a wire rack to set the structure and prevent soggy bottoms, enhancing overall texture and slice quality.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Category: Breakfast, Snacks, Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 18 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 50 mg