Dense, Crusty Banana Bread
This loaf relies on overripe bananas and a slow bake to develop a deep, mahogany crust and a tight, moist crumb. By creaming the butter and sugar until pale before adding the eggs and fruit, you ensure the structure is firm enough to support the weight of the bananas without turning gummy.
Wait for the fruit to turn
Your bananas need black, spotted skins and a soft, yielding texture; if they are still yellow, they lack the sugar content needed for this recipe.
- 9x5 inch loaf pan
- whisk
- rubber spatula
- large mixing bowl
What goes in.
- 3 largeoverripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cupunsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cuplight brown sugar
- 2large eggs
- 1 tspvanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cupsall-purpose flour
- 1 tspbaking soda
- 1/2 tspsalt
Don't skip the air
Beat the butter and sugar until the mixture looks like wet sand and begins to lighten. This introduces the air necessary to keep the dense banana batter from becoming a leaden brick.
The method.
Prep the oven
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and grease your loaf pan with butter. Dust it with a light layer of flour, tapping out the excess.
Cream the base
In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and brown sugar until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Add the fruit
Fold in the mashed bananas. Don't overwork it here; a few lumps of fruit are fine.
Combine dry
Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt in a separate container, then stir into the wet mix just until the white streaks of flour disappear.
Bake
Scrape the batter into the pan and bake for 60 to 70 minutes. A tester inserted into the center should come out clean.
Cool
Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it onto a wire rack. Cooling fully before slicing prevents the interior from tearing.
Other turns to take.
Walnut crunch
Fold in 1/2 cup of toasted, chopped walnuts with the dry ingredients.
Dark chocolate
Add 1/2 cup of bittersweet chocolate chunks to the batter before transferring to the pan.
When it doesn't go to plan.
If the top browns too quickly, tent the pan with foil for the final 20 minutes.
Mash your bananas with a fork, not a blender, to keep some texture in the loaf.
Room temperature eggs emulsify better into the butter mixture than cold ones.
The ones that keep coming up.
Why is my bread gummy in the middle?
Usually because it was sliced while still hot or the internal temperature didn't hit the mark; give it an extra 5 minutes if the center seems wet.
Can I use granulated sugar instead of brown?
You can, but you will lose the slight caramel note and the deep color provided by the molasses in brown sugar.