Banana bread is one of my favorite, go-to desserts. I can’t explain why, since I don’t even like bananas that much. But last semester, I would hoard bananas from the dining hall solely for the purpose of making banana bread. Like, I would have at least 5 bananas in my room at all times, just lying around until they were ripe enough to bake.

Tip: put unripe bananas in an oven on low heat (maybe 200 ˚F) until browned and softened to mimic the ripening process

Banana bread is actually one of the first things I ever baked, and it’s still the most frequent dessert in my household. Desserts aren’t very prevalent in Chinese cuisine, but banana bread is so subtly sweet that you barely notice that it’s just bread-shaped cake. This may be why it’s pretty much the only dessert my family eats.

The reason I make banana bread so often is because ever since I was young, my dad would always buy his fruits in bulk from the wholesale market, which means we would have a TON of uneaten bananas that would inevitably rot on the dinner table. Hence, lots and lots of banana bread!

This is my favorite recipe; it’s pretty fool-proof and very forgiving to improvisation (which I do a lot). I believe the perfect banana bread needs to have a beautiful, cracked crust and a dense-but-still-airy interior. I don’t want a banana bread thats too light and dry, but I also don’t want anything heavy or gooey. I’ve also heard lots of controversy regarding mix-ins. Personally, I like mixing in walnuts, but I don’t like chocolate in my banana bread. I feel like chocolate fights with the banana flavor, whereas the walnuts really elevate the banana-y-ness. Let me know what you think the superior banana bread flavor is!

Notes:
1) Don’t leave the bread in the pan for too long, or else the bottom will get soggy
2) Keep leftovers either loosely wrapped or in an airtight container at room temp, or wrapped tightly in the refrigerator or freezer
3) Best eaten fresh, but toast leftover slices in a toaster or in the oven for maximum deliciousness

RECIPE

1/2 cup butter, softened to room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups mashed banana (4-5 regular-sized bananas)
2 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup chopped walnuts

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 ˚F
2. Cream the butter and the sugar together in a large bowl. You can use an electric mixer but I’ve used a plain ol’ whisk, just mush the butter into the sugar until it forms a homogenous mixture that you can whip.
3. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas with a fork but leave it slightly chunky. Whisk in the eggs and nutmeg, then add to the butter an sugar.
4. Sift together the flour and baking soda, then add gradually into the wet mixture. I use a whisk to incorporate the two until the batter gets too thick, then I fold it in with a rubber spatula. Add the chopped walnuts last.
5. Lightly oil a loaf pan, then pour in the batter and cover with foil. Bake at 350 ˚F for about 45 minutes, then remove the cover and bake until the crust is golden brown (about 15-20 minutes). When I say golden brown, I mean like almost burnt. Trust me, it’ll turn out better than if you undercooked it.
6. Let cool for 15 minutes before un-molding it, then cool completely on a wire rack before slicing