Banana Bread

I should have posted this last Friday but I was tired and just not up to it. I got the recipe from the hospital when I went for my breathing tests. And guess what, the technician/nurse who did the test who was chatty and friendly turns out to be another foodie. The next thing I know, he gave me a printout of his favorite banana bread recipe for me to try. Well didn't claim it to be his own recipe- in fact he told me he gets his recipes online and watches cooking shows if he can and this one is from Flour Bakery. (It sounded familiar but I can't remember why it did). And I was planning on making something else when I get home but the way he raved about his banana cake had me excited. I couldn't wait to be to make it.

So I was finally home and preparing the ingredients in the kitchen. And as I read the recipe, I saw it was courtesy of Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery and finally remembered. I made her famous sticky buns way back (I posted it here)so I knew right then that the bread will turn out delicious. And I was right. I didn't change anything except for the creme fraiche which I didn't have so I used sour cream. I also noticed that the batter almost filled up the loaf pan so I took out some and used an extra mini round pan. I guess my pan is not as big as Joanne's ha ha ha but it's all good. The extra pan cooled faster so I was able to try the bread sooner. I got a nice crust outside and it was soft inside and bursting with banana goodness. I almost forgot the walnuts but at least I didn't forget to sprinkle flour on them so they won't sink to the bottom of the pan. Even from the first bite, I understood why Mr. M is so in love with this recipe.

Flour's Famous Banana Bread
Recipe courtesy Chef Joanne Chang of Flour Bakery in Boston

Ingredients

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 1/2 bananas, very ripe, mashed
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Directions

Set oven to 350 degrees F. Line the bottom of a loaf pan with parchment paper.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Beat sugar and eggs with a whisk until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Drizzle in oil. Add mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Fold in dry ingredients and nuts. Pour into a lined loaf pan and bake for about 45 minutes to 1 hour.