Classic Banana Walnut Bread
With sour cream and nuts, this Classic Banana Walnut Bread is the best you’ll ever taste!
Whether you eat this delicious Banana Nut Bread for breakfast, brunch, snack time, or dessert, you’ll wish you made a double batch!
Why You’ll Love this Easy Banana Bread
- This recipe makes two loaves, so you can make one with nuts and one without!
- I give you an easy way to “ripen” bananas that haven’t gotten to that soft, spotted stage that make them perfect for baking.
- The addition of sour cream practically guarantees your loaves will be moist!
- This takes 4 bananas so start collecting your overripe bananas in your freezer and you’ll be ready to bake once you have enough.
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???
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do You Prevent Quick Bread from Sticking to the Pan?
There are a few things you can do to prevent sticking. First, you must prep the pan properly. Greasing the pan with shortening or butter, then dusting with flour works well. You can also use a flour and oil spray like Baker’s Joy.
I also like to put a rectangle of parchment paper on the bottom of each pan.
Let the baked bread cool in the pan for about 10-15 minutes before removing it. This allows the crust to firm up so the bread does not crack or break when you invert it.
Why Is My Banana Bread Dry?
It could be the recipe. The ratio of flour to bananas, eggs, etc. is key. Too much flour and the bread will be dry. Make sure to measure your flour properly. Scoop your measuring cup into the flour, then take a knife or another flat implement to cleanly swipe the excess from the top of the cup.
If you overmix the batter, it will have tunnels and the texture will be negatively affected. Just stir in the flour until incorporated, no longer than that. Overbaking will also create a drier loaf.
Look at the ingredient list. This recipe has sour cream which adds fat, and thus moisture, and contains lactic acid. Acid loosens some of the gluten bonds making a more tender bread.
Can You Freeze Banana Bread?
Yes, it freezes well if wrapped properly so that it’s airtight. First, cool your loaf to room temperature. If it’s even a tiny bit warm, it will sweat when wrapped which could make the bread gummy when it thaws.
Wrap it well in plastic wrap, then foil. Freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator.
Is Banana Bread Bad for You?
Most quick bread has ingredients that are much like cake ingredients. The bananas and eggs will add some extra nutrients, but banana bread is not considered healthy.
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 sheet pan before chopping and baking at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or just until you start smelling their nutty aroma. Watch carefully so they don’t burn.
- This takes 4 bananas so start collecting your overripe bananas in your freezer and you’ll be ready to bake once you have enough. I store them in a gallon Ziploc bag.
- PRO-Tip: With all quick bread, it’s important to mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until they are combined. Do not use a mixer or overmix. 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 it 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.
More Tasty Quick Bread Recipes:
- Classic Pumpkin Bread
- Southern Peach Bread
- Brown Butter Banana Bread
- Brown Sugar Apple Bread
- Lemon Blueberry Bread
- More Tasty Bread Recipes
More of My Favorite Quick Bread Recipes
Often more like cakes in loaf form than actual bread, quick bread is legitimate breakfast food unlike the former! And these batters can easily be made into muffins by divvying them up into muffin tins and decreasing the baking time. Perfect for a portable breakfast or snack!
Glazed Poppy Seed Bread
Cranberry Pecan Bread
Best Zucchini Bread Recipe
Whole Wheat Molasses Quick Bread
Classic Banana Walnut Bread
A moist delicious loaf with sour cream and walnuts.
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
- Preheat oven to 350º. Grease two 9 x 5 loaf pans, and line bottoms with a rectangle of parchment paper. Set aside.
- 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.
- 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.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
24Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 204Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 37mgSodium: 209mgCarbohydrates: 34gFiber: 1gSugar: 20gProtein: 4g
29 Comments on “Classic Banana Walnut Bread”
I could eat the whole loaf by myself!
This was the best banana bread! It had the perfect flavor!
Our favorite! Hot out the oven with a little butter … yum!
perfect recipe for Fall! 🙂
A slice of this and a cup of tea and I’m a happy camper!
There are few things in life that are better than classic banana bread. This looks wonderful! I always like alnuts in mine too, but I leave them big so I can pick them out and eat them first 🙂
I have one nut hater (well, if they arrive in sweet bread or cookies – she likes nuts on their own) so I completely understand the two-loaf baking, Liz. Perhaps I could have a slice from each and decided for myself. Just to be fair, you understand.
Lizzy,
I love your idea of instant ripe bananas. Sometimes you only have on ripe banana and need more for the recipe. I would prefer the bread without walnuts too.
Annamaria
I like the classique bread like this, they are always good “à l’heure de goûter” !