Best Cooks Illustrated Ultimate Banana Bread Recipes

COOK'S ILLUSTRATED ULTIMATE BANANA BREAD RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl. 2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid). 3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla. 4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf. 5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ULTIMATE BANANA BREAD

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
• Whisk together flour, soda and salt in a large bowl.
• Peel 5 bananas and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, poke several holes, and microwave 5 minutes until bananas are soft and release water. Dump into a strainer set over a sauce pot and let stand about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should have 1/2 to 3/4 c liquid.
• Transfer bananas to a bowl. Boil collected liquid over medium-high heat, until reduced down to 1/4 cup. Add syrup back to bananas and mash with a potato masher. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.
• Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Stir until just barely combined, with a few streaks of flour showing. Add nuts and fold gently.
• Transfer batter to prepared pan. Slice remaining banana into 1/4" slices on the bias. Arrange banana slices, overlapping, down the two long edges of the pan. Sprinkle top of banana slices and batter with sugar.
• Bake in preheated oven, 55-75 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let rest on a rack until completely cool. Tastes best the day its made, but will last up to 3 days if tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.