Banana Bread Recipe

Sunday afternoon, I attempted to make banana bread from a recipe out of the Breadman manual.  It was the Honey-Wheat Banana Bread.  It totally flopped, did not cook well, and overall was not like the banana bread Jeff and I have cooked before from a recipe from Tyler Florence.  I had two overripe bananas needing to be used and cut the recipe below in half to make a smaller loaf.

Banana Bread by Tyler Florence

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

4 overripe bananas 

1 cup sugar 

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2 large eggs 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

1/2 cup pecans, finely chopped 

Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and lightly grease a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; set aside.

Mash 2 of the bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture. With an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip the remaining bananas and sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream. Add the melted butter, eggs, and vanilla; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated; no need to overly blend. Fold in the nuts and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.  Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

 Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; that's no mistake, it's typical. Rotate the pan periodically to ensure even browning.

Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Toast the slices of banana bread, dust with confectioners' sugar, and serve.