Recipe Index

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 ounces or 4 oz) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, plus more for pan
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 slightly heaped cups (about 18 ounces or 18 oz) mashed banana, from 4 extra-large or 5 medium-large bananas
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt
• 1 heaped teaspoon ground cinnamon
• A few gratings of fresh nutmeg (optional)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons raw or turbinado sugar (for the top)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F, butter a 9x5-inch loaf pan or coat it with nonstick spray, and set the pan aside.
2. Melt the butter chunks in a large bowl, whisk in the packed brown sugar until smooth, and stir in the mashed banana until the mixture is uniform.
3. Whisk the eggs and vanilla into the banana mixture one addition at a time.
4. Sprinkle the salt, cinnamon, nutmeg if using it, baking soda and baking powder evenly over the batter surface, whisk them in thoroughly, then give the bowl ten extra turns of the whisk.
5. Add the flour and stir only until it disappears into the batter, then scrape everything into the prepared pan, where it should sit just over half an inch below the rim.
6. Scatter the raw sugar across the top of the loaf and bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until a skewer pushed into the upper third near the rim comes out free of batter.
7. Cool the banana bread in its pan; the crumb slices cleanly the day it is baked and tastes even better on the second and third days.

Total: 1h 15m

Nutrition (per serving, where published)

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient data