Barefoot Contessa Banana Bread Recipe
The Barefoot Contessa Banana Bread Recipe will fill your home with the sweet scent of bananas, and a warm piece of this bread, spread with butter, is one of those nostalgic treats that will transport you to your grandmother’s breakfast nook.
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1 ¼ cup Sugar
- 2 large Eggs beaten, room temperature
- ¾ cup Buttermilk room temperature
- ½ cup Butter melted
- 2 cups ripe mashed Bananas about 4 large
- 1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 cups Walnuts coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 cups of flour, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1 teaspoon of baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and 1 1/4 cups of sugar using a whisk.
- Combine 2 beaten eggs, 3/4 cup buttermilk, 1/2 cup melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla in a medium mixing bowl. Fold in 2 cups of mashed bananas with care.
- In the center of the flour mixture, make a well and pour in the buttermilk mixture. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed. Take care not to overmix the ingredients.
- Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to rest in the pan for 3 to 5 minutes before turning out. Before slicing, place the loaf on a metal rack to cool somewhat.
- Butter the bread and enjoy!
Notes
- Leave some bigger bits when mashing the bananas. Don’t beat them all into a pulp. Banana bread will have more personality and taste thanks to this.
- It’s important to use bananas that are at their peak ripeness. The secret to a tasty and moist end result is in selecting the correct bananas. Bananas that are allowed to fully ripen have more sugar and taste. Pick the ones with brown spots that have a hint of yellow.
- Take the buttermilk and eggs out of the fridge and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before using. This results in a foamy emulsion that locks air into the batter. When baked, the trapped air will expand, making the bread lighter and fluffier. Take them out of the fridge approximately 30 minutes before using them so they can warm up.
- The usage of fresh nuts is essential. When left out in the heat for too long, they get rotten. Put them in the fridge if you want to use them quickly. If you want to keep them for a while, you should put them in the freezer in a sealed container.
- If you don’t have any buttermilk on hand, you can easily make some! One tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice with as much whole milk as is needed to make one cup equals buttermilk. Hold off on eating for at least 5 minutes. In its place, you might use one cup of plain yogurt.
- The butter in this recipe is melted rather than softened. In order to get a finer, more cake-like consistency, creaming softened butter with sugar is essential. Bread made with melted butter is thicker and holds together better.
- Because baking times vary by oven, timing your bread is not the greatest idea. Place a toothpick in the middle and remove it after 50 minutes to ensure it is cooked thoroughly. If it doesn’t work after five minutes, try again.
- After the bread has cooked, let it rest for 3 to 5 minutes in the pan before transferring it to a cooling rack. If the bread is left in the pan for too long, condensation will form on the edges and bottom, making the bread soggy. The rack is useful as well due to the improved airflow.
Nutrition
Calories: 513kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 8gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 8gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 74mgSodium: 467mgPotassium: 350mgFiber: 3gSugar: 40gVitamin A: 490IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 2mg
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