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Friday, July 17

Simple, Perfect Banana Bread

Hey dears! So this is a bit exciting for me to be posting a recipe again after all this time, and I hope that you're excited to give this a try, because you will be so so happy that you did. I try very hard to not be overly dramatic or over-the-top when choosing adjectives to describe clothing, makeup, food, etc. I think that generally words like 'bliss' and 'amazing', 'breathtaking', etc, can be thrown around too readily when it comes to clothing, make-up, etc, and I don't want them to lose their effect here on my blog if that makes sense.haha
So when I say that this is the perfect banana bread, you can be sure that it is in fact the perfect banana bread. See how easy that is? haha In all seriousness though, I've been on the hunt for the best recipe ever since I started cooking, but it was always too dry or too flat/dense, too raw in the middle, or too much lard, etc. So when I found this one in an old cooks illustrated magazine and decided to give it a try, I decided right off the bat to tweak it a bit as I always do (just taking out unnecessary steps and changing a few ingredients, etc), and it came out amazing! I'm so happy that finally my search for the perfect banana bread is over. Lets get to it:

Perfect Banana Bread
makes 1 9-inch loaf

Ingredients:
- 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 5 large, very ripe bananas (about 2¼ lbs.), peeled
- 8 tbsp. (1 cube) butter
- 3 eggs
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts (optional)
- 1 dash each of cinnamon and nutmeg

Method:
1. Preheat your oven to 350˚ F. Rub a bit of olive oil around the bottom and sides of your 9 x 5 inch baking pan, and than dust the oil with a bit of flour (or you can just use cooking spray if you're unsure). Set the pan aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine together your flour, baking soda, spices, and salt; whisk together and set aside.
3. Add your bananas to a larger mixing bowl and microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Carefully pour out a bit of the separated liquid (just a few tablespoons approx), before adding in your stick of butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. Stir the ingredients till the butter is melted, before adding in your dry ingredients and 2/3 of your chopped nuts, and mixing gently till combined.
4. Pour the batter into your prepared pan, sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the loaf, and add a frame of sorts around the edges with your remaining chopped nuts. Bake for 65-75 minutes (I know, I'm sorry!) until a toothpick comes out clean, and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes on a wire rack before gently tipping out of the pan to slice and serve.

I recommend enjoying it immediately with a bit of butter on top and a big glass of milk, and if there are any leftovers (don't count on it), wrap them up in plastic wrap and leave on the counter. Easier access at midnight and all that:)

That's it! I hope that all makes sense since I tried to be very clear and concise in my description. :)

We've made it half-dozen times or so  this year, and I'm so glad that the family was patient enough in waiting to eat it this time around that I could snap a picture for you guys. I'd love to hear feedback on what you think, if you're planning to make it, how you loved it, or any questions you may have, but seriously it is so so easy this way- I'm sure you'll be just fine:)

Thanks for reading today loves,

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Recipe Source: Cook’s Illustrated Magazine, July & August 2010

25 comments:

  1. This banana bread is gorgeous. Goodness gracious. I think it's the walnuts. :]

    // ▲ itsCarmen.com ▲

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    1. Oh yes the walnuts add such a great touch! In the cooks illustrated they added banana slices to the side, but I thought this would be a really great change and now I can't not have my nuts! haha

      Thanks so much for your comment back in july! hehe

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  2. Yum! I feel like I can smell it from over here :)

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    1. Oh man we just made it again last night and the whole house smells amazing.haha

      I hope you gave it a try! xoxo

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  3. Yum! This looks so good and is the perfect thing to do when I've got some overripe bananas. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Thank you so much for the feedback! I hope that you've used the recipe since your comment and love it as much as we do:)

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  4. This banana bread looks so great!

    Check out my latest post <3
    http://www.abigailalicex.com

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    1. It's the best I ever ever had. THanks so much for the visit!

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  5. Yuuuum. I think you just convinced me to buy baking stuff :) Walnuts would make it 100000% better!

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    1. Yes they do! Did you ever get a chance to try out the recipe?
      THanks so much for your visit!

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  6. Yum!!! That's Similar to how I make mine!! i needed to use up apples before they went bad, so i chopped them up and added them too! So good!

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    1. oh dang apples would be amazing! You're a genius.haha I'm excited to try that sometime! Thanks for the tip!

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  7. It looks so delicious and I absolutely love banana bread! Definitely using this recipe and making it this week for sure!

    -Marie
    www.thatdarlingmarie.com

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that! I know this post is ages old, but I hope you gave it a try and that it was a hit!

      ave a great day Marie!

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  8. This banana bread recipe looks delicious! And we have ripe bananas sitting on the counter!

    Paige
    http://thehappyflammily.com

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    1. I know it's been a long time since your comment, but I hope that you tried out the recipe and loved it!

      xoxo

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  9. May have to bake this! Wonderful recipe and blog you have here! xoxo

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    1. Thank you so much for your visit! I hope you tried out the recipe:)

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  10. We are huge fans of Banana Bread around here! Can't wait to try this recipe out!

    http://www.lavendersblush.com/

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    1. It's been a while since you commented, but I'd love to hear if you ever tried it out and how you guys liked it?

      I appreciate you stopping by!

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  11. Cook's Illustrated and anything from America's test kitchen = Perfection.

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    1. I'll have to look into America's Test Kitchen! Thanks for the tip!

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  12. I happened to have all the ingredients- amazing! I made it this yesterday and it was delicious.
    Jame Helms

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    1. I'm so glad to hear it! We just made it again yesterday and it's such a great treat.

      Thanks for the feedback! xoxo

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