Curtis Stone’s Banana Bread with Lots of Toasted Walnuts

Banana bread is the perfect thing to have on standby. Serve it to guests who pop in. This recipe is full of walnuts to give the bread an extra burst of toasty flavor.

Banana Bread with Lots of Toasted Walnuts
(Makes 8 servings)

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 ⅔ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ¼ cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup canola oil
• 1 ⅓ cups coarsely mashed ripe banana (about 3 large)
• 2 tablespoons plain whole-milk yogurt
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 9″ x 5″ x 3″ loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. Spread 1 ½ cups of walnuts on large heavy baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes, or until walnuts are toasted and a nut broken in half is golden brown in center. Let cool, then coarsely chop.
3. In medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and cinnamon together to blend.
4. In large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat sugar and eggs for about 8 minutes, or until pale and thick. Gradually beat in canola oil. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla.
5. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture, and mix just until blended. Using large flexible spatula, fold toasted walnuts into batter.
6. Spread batter in loaf pan. Sprinkle top with remaining ½ cup walnuts. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until top is browned and a wooden toothpick inserted into center of loaf comes out clean. If bread is browned before it tests done, then top with aluminum foil. Let cool in pan on wire cake rack for 15 minutes.
7. Invert banana bread onto rack and turn right side up. Slice and serve warm, or let cool completely before serving.

Recipe from What’s for Dinner?: Delicious Recipes for a Busy Life © 2013 Curtis Stone, published by Random House.

Banana Bread Recipes

My family loves bananas; we eat two bunches a week, so it’s rare we have overly ripe, darkly spotted bananas around for baking. Last week, we overbought just so we could make banana bread. I love the below recipe because the bread comes out very moist, yet dense, with just the right amount of banana flavor complemented with chocolate chips.

I have no idea where I found this recipe. It’s scribbled on white printer paper in barely legible handwriting.

Banana Bread

• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 3 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2/3 cup plain yogurt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 4 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Butter a loaf pan. (Mine is 9 by 5 by 3 inches.)
2. In a small bowl, stir flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time until mixed. Beat in bananas, yogurt, and vanilla.
4. Mix in flour mixture on low until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Pour into loaf pan.
5. Bake about 50-60 minutes, until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.