The Best Banana Bread I've Found So Far

Here's the recipe

I mentioned on Watch What Crappens recently that after much experimentation, I’ve settled on what I believe to be the best banana bread recipe out there. I then directed listeners to this here Substack, but I forgot that the aforementioned recipe is semi-buried in the archives as part of a larger post about banana baking. So, in the interest of removing at least one barrier between you and the banana bread you so deserve, here’s the full recipe, adapted from Toni Tipton-Martin’s excellent cookbook, Jubilee.

Island Banana Bread

Serves 8 to 10

From Toni Tipton-Martin:

The sweet ripe bananas that grow all over the Caribbean islands, pecans, and molasses are the secret to this alluring dark breakfast cake, adapted from B. Smith's Entertaining and Cooking for Friends. For the best banana flavor, be sure to use very ripe, nearly black bananas. I stash peeled whole ripe bananas in the freezer so I can bake this bread anytime I need a hostess gift. Thaw the bananas just before using.

Ingredients:

Softened butter and flour, for the loaf pan

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup chopped dried Medjool dates

1¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground or freshly grated nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground allspice or ginger

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 large egg:

1¼ cups mashed very ripe bananas

2 tablespoons molasses

⅓ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

The Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan, and tap out any excess flour.

2. In a small bowl, toss together the pecans, dates, and 2 tablespoons of the flour and set aside.

3. In a large bowl, whisk together the remaining 1½ cups plus 2 tablespoons flour, the baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

4. In a bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar until light. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. In a third bowl, combine the bananas, molasses, buttermilk, and vanilla. Beat the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture in three additions, alternating with the banana mixture, and beginning and ending with the flour. Gently fold in the nut and date mixture.

6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake until a wood skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Invert onto a wire rack and cool to room temperature before serving.

Ben’s Notes:

I have virtually no notes on this bread. I will mention, however, that one time I ran out of bananas and subbed in persimmons and apple sauce instead, and it worked out great! So, that’s my way of saying you can play around with this if needed. Enjoy!

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Would love to hear about your favorite banana bread recipes. I feel like I’ve found THE ONE but am always down to try others. My head can be turned!

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