Banana Bread - The Perfect Loaf

Here is a recipe that is my proud result of many trial and error loaves of banana bread in an effort to achieve the perfect loaf. I've tried many other banana bread recipes and experimented several times to create my own recipe. Let's just say baking is an art, it's quite temperamental the measurements need to right on. It's easier to create a recipe for an entree rather creating a recipe for a baked good. So, after several loaves of experimenting I've finally found the perfect measurements and ingredients to create what I call The Perfect Loaf of Banana Bread. Just how good? Good enough that it doesn't even need a slathering of butter! It's so good I've made it two days in a row. It's amazingly moist, perfectly sweet, slightly rich, loaded with banana flavor and my favorite part - the topping. Be sure not to leave it off or use substitutions. It compliments the banana bread perfectly. I wanted a topping that enhanced the bread, you know made it fancier than your average banana bread =), and this topping does just that. I love how the spice is just on top. Before I made this recipe I would always have to decide if I wanted my banana bread to have a hint of cinnamon flavor or not. Now, I get a bit of cinnamon flavor but not throughout the entire loaf so it doesn't take away from all that amazing banana flavor it just brushes the top of the loaf. I hope this recipe becomes your go to banana bread recipe for all your overripe bananas.

Banana Bread (aka The Perfect Loaf)

Yields 1 loaf




Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp butter, softened

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar

2 eggs, at room temperature

1 3/4 cup mashed well, overripe bananas (about 3 1/2 - 4 bananas, be sure to measure)

1/3 cup sour cream, slightly warm (I warmed mine 20 seconds in the microwave)

1 tsp vanilla extract




Topping:

2 Tbsp Raw Turbinado sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg




Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a large mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until pale and fluffy about 3 - 4 minutes. Stir in eggs, one at a time mixing after each addition. Add in mashed bananas, sour cream and vanilla and beat until combine scraping down the sides of the bowl frequently. Add in flour mixture and mix just until combine. Pour mixture into buttered 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a small mixing bowl whisk together raw sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Sprinkle mixture evenly over batter in loaf pan. Bake in the center of oven about 1 hour 10 minutes until toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool 5 minutes before removing to cool on a wire rack (I used a large plate when removing the loaf from the pan. I placed the plate over the top of the loaf then carefully flipped it upside down, then placed the wire rack over it and flipped it again. I don't know if that makes sense in writing =) but it helped keep more of the sugar on the top of the loaf).




Recipe Source: Cooking Classy

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