This banana bread recipe uses whole-wheat flour, which gives the bread a hearty, nutty flavor and makes it seem just a little bit healthy (try not to pay attention to the butter or sugar in the recipe, or the "healthy" illusion will be ruined!). Note that this banana bread is easy to overbake. Pull it out of the oven the very minute it's done for a moist, dense, loaf. And, for the best banana flavor, use very ripe bananas.
Whole Wheat Banana Bread
Adapted from New York Cookbook, edited by Molly O'Neill, recipe contributed by Bette Duke. Makes one loaf.
- 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
- 3/4 cup all-purpose white flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 bananas, mashed (about 1 cup)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x5" loaf pan. Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla and mix until very well-blended. In a separate bowl, stir together the flours, salt, and baking soda. Add half the flour mixture to the batter, then the mashed bananas, then the other half of the flour mixture, stirring well to incorporate each addition. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake 45 minutes to an hour. Begin checking the bread with a cake tester or knife as soon as you think it might be done. The moment you find that the tester comes out clean, remove the bread from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack. If in doubt, it's better to underbake than to overbake. Sometimes the center doesn't rise quite as much as you think it should, but you'll enjoy this bread much more if it's a little bit doughy than a little bit dry.