Banana Bread

By Marylee

This is easily the best banana bread I have ever tasted.

Ingredients

• 1-3/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 large very ripe bananas, peeled
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup tightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toasted and chopped walnuts (optional)
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preparation

Step 1

1) Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray a 8-1/2 by 4-1/2 inch loaf pan with non stick cooking spray and dust with flour.
2) Place five bananas in a microwave safe bowl and ccover with plastic wrap. Cut several slits in the plastic wrap and microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to a strainer and set over a bowl allowing the liquid to release from the bananas. This should take about 15 minutes and should yield about 1/2 to 3/4 cup of liquid.
3) Transfer liquid to a sauce pan and reduce to 1/4 cup. Then stir reduced liquid into the bananas and mash until fairly smooth. Whisk in the butter, eggs, vanilla and brown sugar.
4) Pour banana mixture into the flour and stir until just combined. Gently fold in the walnuts. . Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice the remaining banana into 1/4 inch slices and shingle them on top of both sides of the loaf. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over the loaf.
5) Bake until toothpick inserted win center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.