This recipe is from King Arthur Flour and was their recipe of the year in 2018. I love that it has a lot of bananas in it (5 or 2 cups mashed) and half whole wheat (or white whole wheat flour). This is very similar to Flour Bakery’s Best Banana bread but still enough different that you should make it. I love the cinnamon sugar on top of the loaf.
I definitely recommend lining the bread pan with parchment as I did have some trouble getting it out of the pan (although I blame that on altitude-I should have made some minor adjustments for Denver).
2 cups (454g) thoroughly mashed banana, about 4 or 5 medium bananas
1/2 cup (99g) vegetable oil
1 cup (213g) brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (120g) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
1 cup (113g) King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup (57g) chopped walnuts, toasted if desired; optional*
*Leave the nuts out, if desired; or substitute up to 1 cup chopped dried fruit, chocolate or butterscotch chips, sunflower or pumpkin seeds, or other mix-ins of your choice.
Topping
1 tablespoon (13g) sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350°F with a rack in the center position. Lightly grease a 9″ x 5″ loaf pan; if your pan is glass or stoneware, reduce the oven temperature to 325°F. **I highly recommend lining the pan with parchment.
In a large bowl, stir together the mashed banana, oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
Weigh your flours; or measure them by gently spooning into a cup, then sweeping off any excess. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and chopped walnuts into the banana mixture. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and mix again to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, and sprinkle over the batter.
Bake the bread for about 60 to 75 minutes, until the bread feels set on the top, and a paring knife (or other thin knife) inserted into the center comes out clean, or with just a few moist crumbs (but no wet batter). If you have a digital thermometer, the bread’s temperature at the center should register about 205°F. If the bread appears to be browning too quickly, tent it with aluminum foil for the final 15 to 20 minutes of baking. Note: If baking in a glass or stoneware pan, increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.
Remove the bread from the oven. Cool it in the pan for 15 minutes, then loosen the edges, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool completely.
Store leftover bread, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for several days. Freeze for longer storage.