The Ultimate Banana Pecan Nut Bread Recipe

Wednesday, May 30, 2018

 

Bananas seem to be a staple in any home that has (or had) children in it.  It is the “go-to” snack for toddlers, a vitamin packed boost for after-school activity crazed grade-schoolers, and a perfect addition to the health conscious meal for older kids and adults.  Like I said…it’s a staple in most homes.

In our home they were cut up into oatmeal for breakfast, whirled into smoothies for a cool refreshing drink, or dipped into melted chocolate for decadent treat.  But, with all those bananas hanging around there were bound to be a few that didn’t get eaten quite fast enough. And, once they get past their prime they’re not so popular anymore.

When bananas were too soft for fresh eating I would make banana pancakes on the weekend, so they didn’t go to waste. Frugal moms can get very creative when they live on a budget and don’t want to waste food.  

We are fond of banana pancakes, but how often can you eat a thing before it becomes boring.  I had to find other ways to use up the spotted yellow and brown skinned tropical fruit. When no ideas came to mind immediately (scary I know) I threw the now very ripe bananas in the freezer until I could think.

 That’s when it happened. That ah ha moment when you find what you’re looking for without really even looking. I was flipping through a cookbook, looking for a completely different recipe, and there it was, bold as day…a banana bread recipe for a holiday breakfast.

Now, why didn’t I think of that?  In my defense…I can’t be “on it” all the time!  Cut me some slack, please:)

 I read over the recipe and mentally checked off the ingredients one at a time (it’s so nice having a well-stocked pantry). The recipe called for slightly softened fresh bananas, but I only had the one’s I had thrown in the freezer a few weeks earlier.

What the heck, I’ll give it a try.

I thawed the banana’s, reread the recipe, making a few adjustments, and the end result was a soft, moist, dark-colored nutty bread with the most intense banana flavor I had ever tasted.

It was, in fact, the best banana bread I had ever eaten.

So what makes this banana bread so different?

 My gastronomically uneducated opinion is…the sticky, sweet, intensely flavored syrup that is given off when the bananas defrost; that and the combination of brown sugar, applesauce instead of oil and the addition of pecans rather than walnuts.

 This recipe has become a favorite.  We have eaten it toasted and buttered for breakfast, grilled it like French toast, and cut off chunks and taken them on hikes.  We have even taken it on airplanes when traveling.

 

The Ultimate Banana Pecan Nut Bread Recipe

 

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup butter, room temperature
2 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon (sometimes I use pumpkin pie spice, which is nice too)
1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (toss in the bananas and the syrup if using frozen bananas)
½ cup applesauce (any kind)
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup chopped pecans

 

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Cream together butter, brown sugar, and eggs.
  • Sift dry ingredients and combine with the butter mixture. Blend well.
  • Add the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla; stir well, but don’t overwork the mixture.
  • Fold in the pecans and pour into a well-buttered loaf pan.
  • Bake one hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool. Makes: 1 large loaf.

 

TIPS:  This is one of those full proof recipes. It’s hard to screw it up, so be a little adventurous with it. I have used different kinds of applesauce from plain to chunky homemade to cinnamon. If you do try it with cinnamon applesauce, reduce the cinnamon in the recipe by half.

 

The Ultimate Banana Pecan Nut Bread Recipe

INGREDIENTS:

  • ½ cup butter, room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon (sometimes I use pumpkin pie spice, which is nice too)
  • 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas (toss in the bananas and the syrup if using frozen bananas)
  • ½ cup applesauce (any kind)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ cup chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Cream together butter, brown sugar, and eggs.
  • Sift dry ingredients and combine with the butter mixture. Blend well.
  • Add the bananas, applesauce, and vanilla; stir well, but don’t overwork the mixture.
  • Fold in the pecans and pour into a well-buttered loaf pan.
  • Bake one hour, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
  • Makes: 1 large loaf.
http://www.suburbanhomesteading.com/the-ultimate-banana-pecan-nut-bread-recipe/kitchen



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