Ultimate Banana Bread

Ainekset

1¾ cups (8¾ ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon table salt

6 large very ripe bananas (about 2¼ pounds), peeled

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 large eggs

¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces) light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped coarse (optional)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Ohjeet

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8½ by 4½-inch loaf pan with vegetable oil spray. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl.

2. Place 5 of the bananas in a microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in the plastic with a paring knife. Microwave on high power until the bananas are soft and have released their liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer the bananas to a fine-mesh strainer placed over a medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).

3. Transfer the liquid to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Return drained bananas to bowl. Stir the reduced liquid into the bananas and mash them with a potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in the butter, eggs, brown sugar, and vanilla.

4. Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in the walnuts (if using). Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Slice the remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle the banana slices on top of either side of the loaf, leaving a 1½-inch-wide space down the center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle the granulated sugar evenly over the loaf.

5. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool the bread in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then remove the loaf from the pan and continue to cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Muistiinpanot

Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. This recipe can be made using five thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer. Do not use a thawed frozen banana in step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar. The test kitchen’s preferred loaf pan measures 8½ by 4½ inches; if you use a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be cooled completely and stored, covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days.

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: Recipes for ultimate banana bread abound, but because they include an overload of bananas for flavor, the bread’s texture is often soggy. We wanted a moist, not mushy, loaf that tasted of banana through and through.

We needed to use a generous amount of bananas, but we needed to rid them of excess moisture. To do this, we zapped them in the microwave then drained the now-pulpy fruit and mixed it into a batter. We reduced the flavorful liquid and added it into the batter as well. Like a mock extract, our reduction infused the bread with ripe, intense banana flavor.

With the flavor problem solved, a few tweaks completed the recipe: We exchanged the granulated sugar for light brown sugar, finding that the molasses notes better complemented the bananas. Swapping out the oil for the richness of butter improved the loaf further. We also added toasted walnuts to the batter, as their crunch provided a pleasing contrast to the moist crumb. Wondering if the crust might benefit from a little embellishment, we sliced a banana and shingled it on top of the batter. A final sprinkle of sugar helped the banana slices caramelize and gave this loaf an enticingly crisp, crunchy top.