Ultimate Banana Bread

I had the pleasure of joining a bunch of lovely ladies for my close friend Ashley's bachelorette party this weekend. We trekked up to Traverse City, Michigan to enjoy a day of wine tasting and fun. The weather was perfect, the wine was excellent and the company was impossible to beat. I did not make the banana bread for this occasion... no, instead, I created something juuuust a bit more risque--something I'm afraid will not make the blog at this time ;-)

Equal parts distraction from my other dessert endeavor and the need to use up a whole lot of overripe bananas,  I set to the kitchen to whip up America's Test Kitchen's Ultimate Banana Bread before leaving town for the weekend. Little to my surprise, I returned and it's almost gone. Because it's from the current season of America's Test Kitchen, this recipe is available for free on the ATK website for a limited time. The only change I made was to substitute some whole-wheat flour for a small amount of the all-purpose flour for a little added nutritional value. The banana liquid didn't reduce quite as dramatically as described for me, but the results were still great. This banana bread is moist, delightfully banana-y and damn good looking, if I do say so myself. Enjoy!


Recipe adapted from AmericasTestKitchen.com.

Makes one 9-inch loaf.

Ingredients 
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
6 large very ripe bananas (heavily spotted or black), peeled
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2 large eggs
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)
2 teaspoons granulated sugar

Preparation
1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk flours, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.
3. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several vents in plastic. Microwave on high until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium saucepan and allow to drain for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer bananas to a medium bowl.
3. Cook banana liquid over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.
4. Stir reduced liquid into bananas and mash until fairly smooth using a fork or potato masher. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.
4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined (it's okay if there to leave some streaks of flour). Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving space down the center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.
5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Or if you're anything like me, serve toasted with a smear of peanut butter :-)