What is your FAVORITE Banana Bread recipe?

[Anonymous]

Cooks illustrated has an interesting one, where you microwave the bananas:
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large very ripe bananas (2 1/4 pounds), peeled
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed (5 1/4 ounces) light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar


Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 81/2 by 41/2?inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray.Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

Place 5 bananas in separate bowl, cover, and microwave until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes.Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes (you should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup liquid).

Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until
mostly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

Pour banana mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined, with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into 1/4?inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of loaf in 2 rows, leaving 11/2?inch wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Let loaf cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire rack and let cool for 1 hour before serving.

[Anonymous]

Do you have a breadmaker? I have a recipe for a banana yeast bread that makes excellent slightly sweet toast w/o a lot of banana flavor.

[Anonymous]

This one!! Caramelized Banana bread with Brown Butter Glaze:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/caramelized-banana-bread-50400000123582/

It is SO decadent but delicious. The method is different than anything I've ever tried- you basically stew the bananas down in brown sugar and butter rather than simply mash them and throw them in. It makes for a very rich and moist batter and the glaze just takes it over the top. It's not an everyday Banana Bread but it is delicious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Joy of Cooking's.

Are you me? I was going to put the same advice in. LOVE my Joy of Cooking cookbook.

[Anonymous]

Here is a review of banana breads with the winning recipe posted at the
end.http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2012/aug/30/how-to-cook-perfect-banana-bread

[Anonymous]

Anything with sour cream.

[Anonymous]

2 cups (about 4 large) well-mashed “overripe” (browned) bananas
1 cup sugar or (½ c. white + ½ c. brown optional)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda (use 1 teaspoon/cup flour)
3 Tablespoons buttermilk
(or a mixture of 3 Tablespoons milk and ½ teaspoon vinegar which has been set out for 1 hour)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans or walnuts toasted in butter, optional

________________________________________
In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork or the potato masher. Add the sugar and eggs and mix with a spoon until well blended. Gradually add the butter, mixing well. Stir in the flour and baking soda until well mixed and creamy. Stir in the buttermilk, then fold in the pecans or walnuts.

For the bread: Spoon batter into greased loaf pan. Bake at 300° for about 40 minutes, or until no batter sticks to a toothpick when inserted into the center of the loaf. If you get batter on the toothpick cook another 5 mins and check again. Repeat until the toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan immediately and cool on a wire rack. (the time really depends on the oven)

For the muffins: Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups (they will be very full). Bake at 300° until brown and done, about 30-45 minutes (the time really depends on the oven).

Let stand about 5 minutes, then remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

[Anonymous]

Mark Bittman's. It calls for shredded coconut. You don't actually taste the coconut but somehow it creates an amazing texture. Very banana-y flavor.

[Anonymous]

I love this one, the marbled version!

http://www.isachandra.com/2011/11/marbled-banana-bread/