Banana-Nut Bread
I can never wait for it to cool overnight. I love to eat this slightly cooled out of the oven with real butter on top.
I can never wait for it to cool overnight. I love to eat this slightly cooled out of the oven with real butter on top.
- Carbohydrate 21.8008371947572 g
- Cholesterol 13.21875 mg
- Fat 5.0457240625932 g
- Fiber 1.00467812391064 g
- Protein 2.6590559384824 g
- Saturated Fat 0.429629898749116 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (45g)
- Sodium 58.8435625001902 mg
- Sugar 20.7961590708466 g
- Trans Fat 0.349757929877784 g
- Calories 139 calories
Step-by-step
- Grease the bottom and 1/2 inch up the sides of an 8 X 4 X 2 inch loaf pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate, cinnamon, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry mixture; set aside.
- In another bowl combine the egg, bananas, sugar, oil, lemon peel. Add the egg mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter should still be lumpy). Fold in nuts.
- Spoon batter into the prepared pan, Bake in a 350F oven 50 - 55 minutes or till a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Wrap and store overnight before slicing.
Overripe bananas do the heaviest structural and chemical work in this loaf by providing both concentrated natural sweetness and significant moisture that keeps the crumb tender without requiring excessive dairy or heavy fats. Chemical leaveners like baking powder and bicarbonate of soda react rapidly with the acidic fruit puree, producing carbon dioxide bubbles that expand during the first twenty minutes in a 350-degree oven.
Overmixing develops the gluten network within the plain flour, yielding a dense, rubbery texture instead of a light, open crumb. Combining the wet ingredients into a well made in the dry mix and folding just until the flour disappears preserves tenderness by minimizing mechanical gluten formation.
Slicing hot quick breads often results in crumbling because starches require extended cooling time to fully set and retrogradely firm up. Wrapping the cooled loaf tightly and storing it overnight allows moisture to distribute evenly throughout the crumb, softening the exterior crust while concentrating the complex walnut aromatics. Pecans can substitute directly for walnuts in equal weight if preferred, while finely shredded lemon peel introduces volatile citrus oils that cut through the dense sugar profile.
