Bananas are one of those fruits I just never eat. The best memories I have of bananas are my mom taking overly ripe bananas and making banana bread with them. What sets this banana bread apart from the thousands of recipes you can find online is the deliciously crunchy nut streusel topping made from oats, nuts, brown sugar, and butter.
There are many different ways to make banana bread. Some recipes call for butter, some call for oil. Some call for a couple of bananas, and some, like my recipe, calls for 6 lusciously overripe bananas. You can use 5 and that’ll work, too.
What I love about this Banana Bread is that it is soft in texture, the banana aroma is intoxicating, and just when you think it can’t get any better than this classic, you are hit with the crunch and nutty compliment of the streusel.
This recipe makes two 9x5 loaves. I like to make more than one loaf at a time for gifting or for freezing. These cakes freeze beautifully, so make one now and enjoy one later.
I’m dusting this recipe off so that I can make some loaves this weekend as part of a community service baking project with my neighbors. Photos when they are all done!
Banana Bread Recipe
Yields two 9x5 loaves
Ingredients
2 ½ Cups of all-purpose flour*
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 Cups of Granulated White Sugar
1 Cup of Brown Sugar (packed)
4 large eggs
1 Cup of Vegetable Oil
5-6 medium bananas, (the riper the better, the browner the better.)
Optional: 1 ½ C or 6 ounces of walnuts, coarsely chopped and toasted.
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Coarsely chop walnuts and place on a baking sheet. Toast in oven for 6 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool before adding to the batter.
3. Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt).
4. In a separate bowl, combine the sugar eggs, and oil. Whisk together until light in color and creamy looking.
5. Mash bananas and add the mush into the egg mixture.
6. Stir the dry ingredients into the banana mixture and mix until smooth.
7. Stir in the nuts.
8. Pour the batter into the floured and greased baking/loaf pans.
9. Make the streusel:
6 tbsp all-purpose flour
½ C packed brown sugar
4 ounces of softened unsalted butter.
4 ounces walnuts, toasted
½ tsp cinnamon
Toast walnuts for 6 minutes in a 350-degree oven. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. With your fingers, mash the butter into the flour and sugar mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Next, add in the cooled walnuts and mix into the crumble with your hands. Once completed, you will sprinkle this over your two 9x5 banana bread loaves before baking.
10. Bake Banana Bread: Bake in the middle of the oven for 55-65 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.