Ultimate Banana Bread

By patticakes

Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup (8 3/4 oz) all purpose flour
• 1 ts baking soda
• 1/2 ts table salt
• 6 large ripe bananas (~2 1/4 #)
• 8 TBS butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 ts vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup toasted chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans) (optional)
• 2 ts granulated sugar

Details

Preparation time 20mins
Cooking time 75mins

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 9 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place 5 bananas (very ripe) in bowl, cover with plastic wrap and vent. Microwave on high about 5 minutes until bananas are soft and have released liquid. Strain over a saucepan and drain about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until you have about 1/2+ liquid. Put the still warm banana mash in a bowl and add the butter (I melt it in the warm banana). In the meantime, reduce the banana liquid to about 1/4 cup. Pour into the banana mash and stir until smooth. Add butter (if you haven't already, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

Whisk dry ingredients together. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined. Gently fold in nuts if using (or chocolate chips as an option)

Pour into prepared pan. slice remaining banana an tile along the edges, leaving an inch or two down the center. Sprinkle top of loaf with granulated sugar.

Bake 55 to 75 minutes until toothpick comes out clean from center of loaf. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove from pan and continue to cool on wire rack.