The Perfect Banana Walnut Bread - Whether you are a banana lover or not, you should definitely try this.

I am a chocolate lover- I love eating them, cooking them for others and then eating them again... You get it? I am a huge fan of chocolate but that didn't stop me from devouring this Banana bread. Its so well balanced, the taste, the texture. I mean you can eat this as a tea time snack, a breakfast or even as a dinner dessert ( all of which I did :) ) and still feel like, maybe I could eat one more slice?! Who knew that banana, vanilla and walnuts can make something sooo good!

Hands down, this is the BEST Banana Bread. I know with so many recipes out there, I simply can't claim one The Best. But wait let me tell you about this loaf,

• This bread is so soft, but sturdy enough to hold its shape.
• This is not a dry loaf . It is very moist with the banana puree and the yogurt. But is definitely not sticky moist you know, the kind that gets stuck to your teeth.
• It makes perfect slices.
• The walnut is evenly distributed through out the bread.
• And there is the balance. This loaf has the perfect balance of - sweetness, softness and moistness.

I have made this loaf more than 3 times. And every time it has not even lasted 2 days. In a home, where majority of them are not a fan of cakes, this is really a great deal. The only cake that everybody in my family enjoy commonly is the Eggless Dates cake. But I have to say that it has taken the second place now, leaving way for this new favourite.

If you love an eggless version, do check out our Eggless Whole Wheat Banana muffins.

 Ok, without further ado lets get on to the recipe...

 

The BEST Banana Walnut Bread!

 Soft, moist, perfectly sweetened Banana Walnut bread!
 Prep time: 10 min | Cook time: 50 min
 Total time: 60 min |Yield: One 8 1/2 by  4 1/2 loaf bread


Ingredients:
Smashed Banana: 1 cup
All purpose Flour / maida: 1 and 1/2 cups + for dusting  
Baking Soda: 1 and 1/4 tsp
Salt: 1/4 tsp
Softened Unsalted Butter: 1/2 cup ( 113 g ) 
Caster Sugar: 3/4 cup 

Eggs: 2 
Vanilla Essence: 1 and 1/2 tsp 
Yogurt / Curd: 2 and 1/2 tbsp 
Toasted Walnuts: 1/2 cup ( roughly chopped ) 
Oil: for greasing 

METHOD:

1) Preheat oven at 180 C for 10 minutes. Take some ripe bananas ( your bananas should definitely have some brown spots ).
Mash the bananas with a fork in a bowl ( you can even use a mixer ).

2) Grease a 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 loaf pan with oil ( I use thispan ). Place a parchment paper at the bottom and grease it as well. Dust the whole pan with flour and keep that aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt until well combined. Dry mix is now ready.

3) Cream together butter and sugar using a hand beater or a whisk until light and fluffy ( as shown below ). Add in the first egg and mix well until combined.

4) Add the second egg and vanilla and mix until combined.

5)  Add half of the dry mix and beat just once or twice ( you definitely don't want to over mix ). Add the mashed banana and beat once more.

6) Now add the remaining dry mix and the yogurt and mix gently on low speed until everything is combined. Fold in the toasted and chopped walnuts.

7) Transfer to the prepared pan. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C in the middle rack for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick / knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let it cool in the pan itself for 5 to 8 minutes. Then gently run a knife around the edges of the pan. Invert the bread and remove the parchment paper. Transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

There you have it the BEST Banana Bread!!

Recipe Adapted: Crouton Crackerjacks

NOTES:
1) Make sure your butter is at room temperature to ensure proper creaming.
2) Never mix vigorously after adding the flour as it will cause to develop the gluten in the flour which in turn makes the bread very tough.
3) Keep all your ingredients at room temperature.
4) Your bananas should be ripe for this recipe. You definitely need some brown spots. The more the better as it naturally adds sweetness and flavour to the recipe.
5) You can also add almonds or cashews instead of walnuts. but I do hope you give a try with walnuts beacuse banana and walnut is an unbeatable combo!
6) The number of bananas differ depending on their size. Mine were  small, so  mashed 6 bananas to get 1 cup.
7) Slice the bread only after it has cooled down completely to room temperature.
8) You can also cover the top of your bread loosely with aluminium foil after about 30 minutes, if you feel your cake is browning too much on the top.

Happy Cooking,
Sinhiya.S