Moist Banana Nut Bread

This might end up being a strange post. I’m currently listening to Rod Stewart’s Greatest Hits and about to share a recipe that calls for refined white sugar. I don’t typically bake to “Hot Legs”, nor do I like to promote refined sweeteners, but for some reason Rod is blasting through my laptop speakers, and three-quarters of a cup of Redpath is staring me down. Is there a full moon tonight?...I digress.

I wanted to share with you a classic from my recipe repertoire, my moist and delicious banana nut bread. If I had a dollar for every banana I let sit on my counter top while waiting for it to over-ripen, I might buy a small island and retire. Bananas often get a bad rap because of the amount of sugar in them, but they shouldn't be dismissed completely. Bananas are packed full of potassium and have good amounts of vitamin B6, which wards off fatigue and insomnia.

I love the simplicity of this banana bread and the aroma it emits as it bakes. This recipe is great for making breads or muffins, and there are no special tricks to doubling or halving it. It is full of banana flavor and seems to do well in the mail if you want to ship it to a hungry friend (freeze it once it’s cooled, pack it frozen, then 2-4 day deliver it). Try your best not to dive right in as banana bread is best if eaten twenty-four hours after baking.


The sour cream is what keeps this loaf from drying out, a common problem with fruit breads. Sour cream doesn’t tend to lend any of its own flavors to the bread while baking, so it’s a subtle way to make sure your bread stays deliciously moist.


Moist Banana Nut Bread

½ cup unsalted butter (room temp)
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs (room temp)
1 tsp vanilla
3-4 Ripe mashed bananas
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 ½ cups flour
½ cup sour cream
½ cup chopped walnuts

Mix butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla in a mixing bowl until creamy. Add bananas and cinnamon and mix well. Add soda, salt, sour cream and flour, mix well. Add nuts.

Add mix to greased and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 1 hour or until you can insert a knife into the centre of the loaf and it comes out clean.


I hope you like it.