Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 3 very ripe bananas
• 115g unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 150g brown sugar (plus extra for sprinkling)
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 tbsp Greek yogurt
• 187.5g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp vanilla extract
• 117g walnuts

Method

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 180°C (fan).
2. Prepare the pan: Grease and flour a 9.25" x 5.25" x 2.75" loaf pan, then sprinkle brown sugar in the pan to coat the bottom and sides.
3. Prepare walnuts: Lightly toast walnuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring continuously to prevent burning (2-3 minutes). Coarsely chop and set aside to cool.

Making the Batter

4. Cream butter and sugar: In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter and 150g brown sugar until light and fluffy.
5. Add wet ingredients: Mash bananas with a fork until they reach a chunky applesauce consistency. Add mashed bananas, beaten eggs, and Greek yogurt to the butter mixture, mixing until well combined.
6. Combine dry ingredients: In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt.
7. Bring it together: Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in vanilla extract and chopped walnuts - don’t overmix.

Baking

8. Fill the pan: Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top with additional brown sugar.
9. Bake: Place in preheated oven for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
10. Cool: Let the banana bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tips

• The riper your bananas, the better the flavor - look for heavily spotted or even black-skinned bananas
• Don’t overmix the batter once you add the flour to avoid a tough texture
• Store covered at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months