Banana Walnut Bread - the perfect combination of nutty banana goodness with a sweet hint of cinnamon and sugar; moist, perfect for breakfast, and positively scrumptious.
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I originally posted (this) my FAVORITE Banana Walnut Bread recipe back in October 2013. This is my near and dear, GO-TO, Banana Walnut Bread recipe! I absolutely LOVE it, which is why it was one of the first recipes I shared on SBS. It's also the banana bread recipe I adapted to include Reese's Peanut Butter Cups in Reeses Peanut Butter Banana Bread.
I love this Banana Walnut Bread SO much that I decided to update the photos, no worries though, it's the same FABULOUS recipe just with new photos for your viewing pleasure. 🙂
Original text from October 4, 2013:
I have been baking so much lately, and honestly, it has been pure bliss. This is what I want to do every day. I am kind of flummoxed at how long it took me to realize this. I've been dreaming about my high school job at Falls House of Cakes pretty much the last decade and have always been disappointed when I wake up and realize it isn't real. I feel like that should have told me something and yet I muddled around for years. I am happy and excited to finally come to terms with what my brain has been trying to tell me in the dream world for years.
With that being said, it's not just the baking aspect that I enjoy, but also sharing my baking experiences with you. I must admit though that I find the blogging aspect to be the most challenging. I feel very naked sharing myself even if it is just my kitchen adventures and misadventures. I am hoping with time and experience this aspect will come a little bit more naturally and be a little less intimidating.
What does all this have to do with my Banana Walnut Bread recipe? Well, nothing. I just have vowed to try to be more personal and put myself out there more and thus the heart-to-heart. I suppose now is the perfect time to segway into my Banana Walnut Bread. 😉
I am a wee bit of a banana fiend. There isn't a trip to the grocery store that doesn't result in the purchase of several bunches of bananas. My wedding cake was a banana cake. A smoothie isn't a smoothie without a banana. My first blog post was Very Banana Cupcakes. Naturally, I have a tried and true recipe for Banana Walnut Bread.
This recipe originally came from my Aunt Cathy. I tweaked it a bit to include whole wheat pastry flour in an effort to make it more healthful. Fortunately, my reasonably healthy tweak did very little to change the texture or flavor of this wonderful Banana Walnut Bread.
The Banana Walnut Bread is fairly simple to make. The biggest hurdle is the time it takes to bake it (70 minutes) before you can indulge in its totally banana-y, moist, a bit nutty, sugar, and cinnamon goodness. This recipe needs no special treatment either, and thus I have only a few baking Banana Walnut Bread words of wisdom to share.
First, this recipe utilizes a cup of mashed bananas. If you've ever made banana bread, you know the browner the better. This makes for easy mashing and it just makes the Banana Walnut Bread better.
Second, the cinnamon-sugar aspect of this recipe. Don't skip or skimp out on this. Mix together a little sugar and cinnamon (think Snickerdoodles) and sprinkle on top of the batter while it is in the bread pan. This cinnamon-sugar aspect makes a totally delish crust on the top of the bread. It is not only pretty to look at but it also really adds a little something-something to the recipe.
Lastly, the walnuts. I love walnuts. We all need a little nutty in our lives, right? If you have an aversion to nuts or have more than enough nutty in your life then the walnuts are definitely optional. If you want to add a different nut to your banana bread that is also doable.
Without further ado, the Banana Walnut Bread recipe that I have been going on-and-on about in this very long-winded blog post.
Banana Walnut Bread
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, semi-melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup mashed bananas, about 3 medium bananas
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 and ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup chopped walnuts¹
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, sprinkle on top
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon sprinkle on top
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
- Lightly grease bread pan with vegetable shortening or butter. Sprinkle in flour and shake around to evenly cover bread pan. Tap out excess flour. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl using an electric mixer, mix butter, eggs, sugar, and bananas until blended.
- Add flours, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and baking powder; mix until blended. Fold in walnuts if desired.
- In a small bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Set aside.
- Pour batter into bread pan. Sprinkle cinnamon-sugar mixture on top.
- Bake for 60-70 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
- Allow bread to cool in pan for about 30 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Eat & Enjoy!
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