Classic Banana Walnut Bread

With sour cream and nuts, this Classic Banana Walnut Bread is the best you’ll ever taste!

Classic Banana Walnut Bread

I’m always in search of inspiration. So when my daughter spotted a recipe card for a classic banana walnut bread that fell out of one of the myriad catalogs piled up on my kitchen counter, and actually requested a loaf, I had to oblige.

This was in the middle of a long winter cold stretch and it took the bananas forever to ripen in our drafty house. After 6 days, I gave up, popped them in the oven at 300º for a half hour till they were blackened. Instant overripe bananas! Isn’t that a neat trick???

Tips for Making the Best Banana Bread

The girl (or Queen of the House as she’s been dubbed) is just as picky as her dad, so one nut free loaf was a given. But I also wanted to make a banana bread that reminded me of my mom, and hers were always chock full of crunchy walnuts.

• Check my tip above for how to get under ripe bananas ready for banana bread.
• While your  oven is on, toast your walnuts to bring out the best flavor. I’d recommend placing them on a sheetpan before chopping and baking at 350 degrees for 55-10 minutes or just until you start smelling their nutty aroma. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.

• With all quick breads, it’s important to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until they are combined. Otherwise the bread will be full of tunnels.
• I hate to admit how many breads I’ve pulled out of the oven too soon and find a raw center when slicing. Use a toothpick and insert it into a few spots along the top center of the loaf. It should come out dry or with moist crumbs, not batter, when the loaf is done.

• Cool the bread for about 15 minutes before releasing from the pan to finish cooling.
• I like lining the bottoms of my loaf pans with parchment paper so the bottom does not stick. I grease the pan, add the parchment, then grease the parchment.

• Banana bread freezes wonderfully. Just let cool completely, wrap in plastic, then foil and I also like to place it in a freezer bag. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
• It’s fine at room temperature for a day or two or in the refrigerator for about a week.

Fragrant, dense but not too heavy, and moist, this was one superb banana bread. So whether you have black bananas in your freezer or yellow bananas ripening on your counter, I suggest you make a loaf or two of this banana walnut bread ASAP.

P.S. If you want an even more decadent version check out this over the top Chocolate Chip Toffee Banana Bread.

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Classic Banana Walnut Bread

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A moist delicious loaf with sour cream and walnuts.

• Author: Liz Berg
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 60 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Yield: 32 servings 1x
• Category: Bread, Quick Bread
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 4 bananas, very ripe (or if just yellow with a few brown spots, cook on a parchment lined sheet pan at 300º for 30 minutes till skins are very dark), peeled and mashed
• 1 cup (2 sticks or 8 ounces) butter, melted
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (350º for 3–5 minutes, till fragrant)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans, and line bottoms with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix the melted butter with the sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix to combine. In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet without overworking the batter. Stir in the sour cream, walnuts, and the bananas. Divide batter between the two pans.
3. Bake for about 1 hour or till a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes, then remove bread from pans to a cooling rack.

Notes

This recipe is easily cut in half to make just one loaf.

Adapted from AllRecipes.

 More of My Favorite Quick Breads

Often more like cakes in loaf form than actual bread, quick breads are legitimate breakfast food unlike the former! And these batters can easily be made into muffins by divvying it up into muffin tins and decreasing the baking time. Perfect for a portable breakfast or snack!

Glazed Poppy Seed Bread

Cranberry Pecan Bread

Zucchini Bread

Whole Wheat Molasses Quick Bread