Banana Bread

Let's cook

1. 1

   Use blackened bananas

   The skins should be mostly black. Yellow bananas have neither the sugar nor the flavour and produce a bland, cakey loaf.

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   If yours are underripe, bake them in the skins at 300°F for 20 minutes and cool.

2. 2

   Melt, do not cream

   Whisk the melted butter into the brown sugar, then the eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and mashed banana. Melted butter gives a denser, moister crumb than creaming.

3. 3

   Combine dry separately

   Whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together before adding, so the soda is evenly distributed.

4. 4

   Mix minimally

   Fold the dry into the wet until just a few streaks of flour remain, then fold in the walnuts. Overmixing makes it tough and gives it a tunnelled crumb.

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   Stop while it still looks slightly underdone. Ten seconds too long changes the texture.

5. 5

   Bake low and long

   Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 60–65 minutes until a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. Tent with foil if the top darkens too fast.

6. 6

   Cool in the tin

   Cool 15 minutes in the tin, then turn out onto a rack. It slices much more cleanly once completely cool.

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