Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Banana Pecan Bread

Fall is in the air and it's time to take the bull by the horns and bake some Banana Pecan Bread. These little loaves are packed full of flavor and are great for breakfast, brunch or late night munchies! You can even deliver them to your friends during the holidays. I can't wait, let's get started!
Banana Pecan Bread -
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt 1-1/2 sticks of butter and let cool. Lightly spray two 8 x 4 loaf pans with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, combine the 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1-1/2 teaspoons of baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoons salt; set aside.

Mash 2 over-ripe bananas with a fork in a small bowl so they still have a bit of texture; set aside.
Using an electric mixer fitted with a wire whisk, whip 2 other over-ripe bananas and 1 cup of sugar together for a good 3 minutes; you want a light and fluffy banana cream.
Change mixer to batter paddle and add the melted butter, 2 room temperature eggs, and 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; beat well and scrape down the sides of the bowl.
Mix in the dry ingredients just until incorporated.
Fold in 1/2 cup chopped pecans...
... and the mashed bananas with a rubber spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Give the pan a good rap on the counter to get any air bubbles out.

Talk about make your home smell gooooooood while it's baking! Bake for about 1 hour, until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean. Don't get nervous if the banana bread develops a crack down the center of the loaf; it's normal. Cool the bread in the pan for 10 minutes or so, and then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
Serve with a light dusting of confectioners' sugar.

18 comments:

Prudy said...

Well, yours obviously came out perfect. I love banana bread and I can't wait till I can feel good about having the oven on for long periods of time.

Anonymous said...

I can smell the comforting scent from here!

gigi said...

I love banana bread and since most of the pecans come from Georgia, I always have a freezer full! This looks really moist!

Thanks for sharing the recipe for Roasted Broccoli! IT was so wonderful I bought another head to make for dinner tonight. It's a keeper!

April said...

YUM! This makes me think of fall!

Marjie said...

I usually break my bananas into about 4 chunks, and let the Kitchenaid mixer mash them up somewhat. The glorious chunks of banana in the bread....mmmm....now I'm hungry!

Pam said...

I usually use walnuts in my banana bread but I bet pecans make it extra special - I'll try them next time. I sure wish I could have a piece drenched in butter...

Aggie said...

I love bananas and love pecans. Your bread looks wonderful. I'd love to have a slice right now!

La Bella Cooks said...

I think using pecans in an already fantastic banana bread would be divine. Yours looks delicious!

The Blonde Duck said...

I love banana pecan bread. How can you resist it?

Debbie said...

I love banana bread and your looks delicious!

Steph said...

I love chunks of banana in my banana bread. The next time I make banana bread, I'm definitely trying the banana cream method. Those loaves rose up really nicely!

Maria said...

I have bananas in the freezer, I just haven't gotten around to using them! Your bread looks great. I think I will smell up the house with something good real soon:)

Greg C said...

Hey that's my recipe. I make it every year. Here is a little something I read about. If your bananas get ripe like you want them and you aren't ready to make the bread, just put them in the freezer. It actually helps the carbs in the bananas break down into sugar and makes the bread sweeter.

Megan said...

Ahhh, nothing better then the smell of banana bread on a crisp Fall day! Sounds great :)

Apples and Butter said...

Love, love, love using bananas in baking! Thanks for giving me another way to use them up!

Jenny said...

Sounds terrific! I love banana bread, it's great this time of year!

John Roberts said...

One of my favorite snacks! This, and a glass of ice cold milk - it doesn't get any better than that. Did you mention that the correct Louisiana pronunciation is pa-cawn, not pee-can??

Amanda said...

Ohhhhh this looks so good!! I have bookmarked this recipe to try. Thank you!