Banana Bread

We made banana bread the other day. Yes, I have been enjoying staying at home! Here’s the recipe! It’s from The New Best Recipe: All-New Edition with 1,000 Recipes by the Editors of Cook's Illustrated Magazine . It’s a great book if you love to cook and especially great if you love to read about cooking.

• 2 cups unbleached flour, plus more for dusting the pan (the kids too of course!)


• 1 ¼ cups walnuts, chopped coarse


• ¾ cups sugar


• ¾ teaspoon baking soda


• ½ teaspoon salt


• 3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 ½ cups)


• ¼ cup plain yogurt


• 2 large eggs, beaten lightly


• 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  

Adjust oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.

Spread the walnuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5-10 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, salt, and walnuts together in a large bowl; set aside.

Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl. Lightly fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients with a rubber spatula until just combined and the batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days).

Sheila Cason, MD