Recipe: The Best Banana Bread in the West

Words by Jesse Hawes of Mon Pitou bakery.

I don’t like to honk my own horn, but I really do have to honk it once or twice for this recipe. This banana bread is seriously outrageous, and is best the next day (if it isn’t gone by then). It’s based on a recipe from my Aunt Cindy, with a few adjustments of my own. If you’re asking yourself why there are so many wet ingredients, the answer is simple: moistness is a must, am I right? The butter adds richness and a nice nutty flavour, the sour cream ensures every bite is moist and tangy, and the oil helps the loaf stay as moist as it is even longer. I’m also a little extra and like to use a blend of both frozen bananas and fresh overripe bananas. I think adding the two adds that little je ne sais quoi, but feel free to add just one or the other!

Ingredients

2 cups plus 1 tsp all-purpose flour

1½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 tsp kosher salt

4 overripe bananas

2 tbsp sour cream

1 tbsp vegetable oil

½ cup light brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

1½ sticks unsalted butter, melted

2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ cup pecans, finely chopped

¼ cup dark chocolate chips

Make It

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9-by-5-inch lightly greased loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving the edges to hang a little over the sides.

In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and set aside.

With a stand-mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on low, lightly mix 2 bananas, making sure they still have a little texture to them. Remove from the mixing bowl and set aside. Whip the remaining 2 bananas with the white and brown sugars until you have a light and fluffy banana cream. Add melted butter, eggs, sour cream, vanilla and vegetable oil and beat well.

Remove whisk attachment and replace with the paddle, then mix in dry ingredients until just incorporated (do not overmix). Toss chocolate chips and pecans with one teaspoon of flour, then fold them into the batter along with the two bananas that were mashed and set aside earlier. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan.

Bake banana bread for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the centre of the loaf comes out clean. Remove from pan and place onto a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. Slather on some salted butter and enjoy.

 

Originally published April 22, 2o22.