American Baking
Spiced Banana Bread with Brown Sugar and Walnuts
Ripe bananas, brown sugar, warm spices, and walnuts bake into a moist loaf with enough structure to slice cleanly.
Gluten-FreeDairy-FreeHigh CarbMake AheadBaking ProjectDessertComfort Food
At a Glance
- Time
- 1 hr 30 mins
- Serves
- Makes 1 loaf
- Cost
- Low
- Cuisine
- American Baking
- Dietary fit
- Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian
Instructions
- Cream the butter and brown sugar together until light, then beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the mashed bananas so the batter smells strongly of banana before the dry ingredients go in.
- Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and kosher salt together in a separate bowl. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture just until combined, then fold in the walnuts.
- Scrape the batter into a parchment-lined 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake at 350 degrees F until the loaf is deeply golden and a tester comes out mostly clean, about 60 to 70 minutes.
- Cool the banana bread in the pan briefly, then transfer it to a rack so the crust stays intact. Let it cool fully before slicing.
- The crumb should be moist and close-textured.
Adaptations
Easy Swap- Gluten-Free: Easy Swap Easy swap; see the adaptation note below.
- Dairy-Free: Easy Swap Easy swap; see the adaptation note below.
- Vegetarian: Vegetarian Vegetarian as written.
How to adapt: A 1:1 gluten-free flour blend works well here — the banana moisture keeps the crumb tender enough that GF results are close to the original. For dairy-free, substitute a neutral oil or vegan butter for the butter.