Banana nut breads come in all varieties. Popular recipes result in textures ranging from moist to cakey. Personally, I like banana nut bread that is denser than a classic yellow cake, but not quite as dry as wheat bread. The banana nut bread should be tender and flavorful, but not have the consumer feel like he needs to drink a glass of water with it. Some of the recipes that I've tried were so moist that the "bread" sticks to the roof of the mouth, while other recipes were much too dry - both require drinking a glass of water to get the bread down. (Of course, drinking a glass of milk while eating a slice of good banana bread is an awesome combination, but it shouldn't be considered a necessity for enjoying banana nut bread.) This recipe results in what I feel is the perfect combination of flavor and texture in banana nut bread.
Banana nut bread should always start with fully ripe bananas. Unfortunately, ripe bananas are not usually sold in the supermarket. While a banana ripens, the starch of the banana slowly converts to sugars. Allow green or yellow bananas to ripen at room temperature until the skin is liberally covered with brown spots. Once the banana has reached this stage, it is fully ripe. Bananas can be frozen once they have reached the desired ripeness. Their peels will turn completely brown, but don't worry about the banana within. When ready to use, simply thaw the bananas by letting them sit (unpeeled) on the counter until they warm up. Once thawed, peel the bananas.
Start by preparing a loaf pan by buttering the bottom and sides. Lightly flour the pan and tap out the excess flour. The loaf pan should be around 5 in. by 9 in. (13 cm by 23 cm) in size - a little larger or smaller isn't a problem.
The wet ingredients are: two ripe bananas, 6 Tbs. melted butter, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and two large eggs. For the dry ingredients: 1-1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 tsp. salt, and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts. Combine and whisk all the dry ingredients except for the walnuts. The use of both baking soda and powder are necessary to provide enough leavening for the proper consistency of the bread. The baking soda is just enough to utilize the slight acidity of the bananas to create the desired carbon dioxide bubbles. Baking powder (which is a mix of baking soda, a base, and cream of tartar, an acid) provides even more leavening power.
Mash the bananas, melted butter, and vanilla extract together. Lightly beat the eggs together.
Mash the banana mixture with the eggs until smooth and well blended.
Pour the banana mixture onto the dry ingredients. Add the walnuts.
Fold the ingredients together until no more white flour is uncovered while folding.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 55 minutes at 350°F.
After 55 minutes, the loaf of banana bread should be done. A wooden toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean. Set the pan on a wire rack to cool for ten minutes.
