Flour’s Famous Banana Bread – it’s my favorite banana bread recipe!

I always have very ripe bananas sitting around. Maybe I’m overzealous when buying bananas and think I can eat more than I can…or maybe I know I have a great banana bread recipe and purposely buy too many so I have an excuse to make it. I’ve made this bread so many times it’s soooooo delicious and easy! Again, I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, I don’t think I’ve ever had a Flour Bakery recipe disappoint.

This banana bread is so moist, so banana-y, and so simple, you’ll make it all the time too! I will say, I think I could reduce the sugar a little and it’ll still be great. It’s a sweeter quick bread. Here’s the recipe from the famous Flour Bakery in Boston.

Flour’s Famous Banana Bread

From Flour Bakery (Joanne Chang)

Yield:  one 9×5 inch loaf

Ingredients 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar 2 eggs 1/2 cup oil 3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed 2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour   cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped   (optional)

Directions

1. Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and butter the uncovered portions of the pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil very slowly. Do not add too much at once or you will deflate the eggs.
3. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche (or sour cream), and vanilla extract. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan.
4. Bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Press top of the bread with your finger to check if it’s done. If it bounces back, it is ready, if you can see your finger mark then bake it longer.

I usually have enough bananas to make two loaves of this bread. I give one away and keep the other. We go through one loaf in three days between the two of us. It’s one of those you keep slicing, and slicing…

First, beat the sugar and eggs together until light and fluffy. This will take longer than you think. The mixture will actually be lighter in color.

It will be so fluffy it looks whitish. See below.

Then slowly – VERY SLOWLY, drizzle in the oil. This will take you about a minute to do the 1/2 cup. If you do it too fast, you will deflate the fluffy egg mixture that you worked so hard to make fluffy.

Then mash your bananas (I did mine with a potato masher).

And add it all in. And poured into your pan. I used the Pam spray oil and just lined the bottom and sides with the parchment paper.

Bake and you get these nice crusty brown tops.

Yum…

Allow it to cool completely before slicing. It’ll be hard, but you can do it! I promise the end result it worth it. See???

And serve!

Thank you Flour!