Banana Walnut Crunch Bread
Why another banana bread recipe? Because this recipe packs the punch of extra banana and the moisture of sour cream with the sweet crunch of candied walnuts. I tried many recipes before developing the perfect recipe to satisfy my banana bread cravings.
Prep: 40 minutes Bake: 52-55 minutes Bake at: 350° Makes: 1 loaf Pan: 9x5-inch loaf pan (1 1/4 pounds) Difficulty: intermediate
Ingredients:
Candied Walnuts:
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped or whole
Parchment paper
Batter:
1 1/4 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (53g) pastry flour (see "tips")
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/3 cups mashed banana (4 small or 3 medium very ripe bananas)
1/3 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (107g) dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon molasses
Cooking spray
Directions:
Bring batter ingredients to room temperature.
To make candied walnuts: Line a baking tray with parchment paper. To make candied walnuts, melt 1/2 tablespoon butter with 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar in a small (7"-8") non-stick skillet over medium heat until sugar begins to sizzle around the edges. Add walnuts, tossing and stirring to coat. Continue to cook and stir at medium heat for 2-3 minutes until sugar is melted and glossy. Remove the skillet from heat and spread candied walnuts in a single layer on the lined baking tray. Immediately separate the walnuts with a small metal spatula. Let cool for 10 minutes. If you used whole walnuts, chop in the small work bowl of a food processor and set aside.
Pre-heat the oven to 350°.
To make batter: In a medium bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, pastry flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a separate bowl, mash bananas with a fork or potato masher until only a few small lumps remain.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and dark brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 5-6 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add sour cream and molasses and beat well. Starting and ending with dry ingredients, add flour mixture alternately with bananas, beating at low speed to half incorporate. After the last addition, stir mixture to fully incorporate ingredients. Fold in candied walnuts.
Spoon batter into a prepared 9x5-inch loaf pan and level the top with a rubber spatula. Using a sharp knife angled at 45°, make a 1/4" deep slash down the center of the batter. Bake on center rack in pre-heated 350° oven with pan angled on a diagonal for 52-55 minutes. Bread is done when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and turn bread out to cool on a wire rack.
Store bread at room temperature for 4 days. Individual slices can be wrapped and frozen for 2 weeks.
Tips:
- You can substitute cake flour for pastry flour in the recipe.