Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes | Serves: 10
Special Equipment: Loaf pan 9″ x 5.25″ | Wax or Parchment paper
If you think you don’t like banana bread, don’t give up, this one just may change your mind. It’s super-moist, soft and tender, sweet with a crunchy streusel topping, and it’s the “best banana bread I’ve ever had,” as many people have commented to me. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom are nice warm spices that bring an extra “mmm” to this loaf.
You don’t have to have a reason like new neighbors, a new baby in the church, or just to say, “Thank you” to bake this banana bread. Bake it and enjoy it with friends and family.
Banana bread is a “quick bread” which means you don’t have to wait for yeast to bloom or the batter to rise. You get yummy bread quicker when “the hankering” arises. Check out this blog from King Arthur Baking Company on the history of banana bread. This intriguing article by King Arthur Baking takes you from its humble beginnings to the myriad of recipes we have today of the well-known bread we know and love.
By the way, mark your calendar, National Banana Bread day is February 23. But, please, don’t hold out all year to make this amazing banana bread!
Banana Bread with Streusel Topping
It’s super-moist, soft and tender, sweet with a crunchy streusel topping, and it’s the “best banana bread I’ve ever had,” as many people have commented to me.
Ingredients
Banana Bread:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 1/4 cup avocado oil, or other neutral oil
- 4 bananas, very ripened and soft, mashed
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup buttermilk, room temperature
Streusel Topping:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter,, cold, cut into cubes
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/3 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/3 cup old fashioned oats
Instructions
Make the Streusel Topping:
- In a small bowl, add the flour, sugar, spices, nuts, and oats. Mix well.
- Cut in the cold butter using your fingers, pastry cutter (also known as a pastry blender), or a fork until the flour is barely visible. (I find my fingers do a quicker and more thorough job.)
- Set the topping aside.
Bread Batter:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and cover the bottom with a piece of wax paper (or parchment paper) to fit the bottom and grease the paper.
- If using a stand mixer, attach the paddle. You can alternatively use a hand-held mixer.
- Into the mixer bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, sugars, salt, butter, and oil. Combine the ingredients on low for 2 minutes.
- In another mixing bowl combine the bananas, eggs, vanilla and buttermilk.
- On low speed, scrape the banana mixture into the flour and blend ingredients on low for about 30 seconds.
- Pull the bowl from stand mixer and gently fold the batter with a silicone spatula to finish combining.
- Scrape the batter into the greased loaf pan. Evenly sprinkle the streusel topping over the top.
- Bake for one hour and 10 minutes. If your oven runs hot, begin checking for doneness around 1 hour.
- Insert a toothpick into the middle of the banana bread. If there is “gooey” batter on the toothpick, place back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Check again with a clean toothpick.
- Be careful not to overbake. Everyone’s oven heats and bakes differently. You are looking for a toothpick with just a few crumbs stuck to it. Continue to bake as needed so that your toothpick has those few crumbs.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
- Run a sharp knife around the edges of the pan, or if you’re concerned about scratching your pan, you can use a very thin silicone or plastic spatula to slide around the edges to loosen the bread.
- Tilt the loaf pan slightly with one hand and help maneuver the bread out of the pan with your other hand and onto a platter, streusel side up.
- If you can resist, allow the bread to cool for 30 minutes, only for the convenience of the slices not falling apart. We still ate the very warm bread with forks because we had no patience.
- Serve at room temperature or still slightly warm.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Notes
Please, use very ripe bananas. You know, the ones your kids refuse to eat. They do not have to be “black,” but quite a bit of brown spots and soft.
Allow this bread to cool somewhat before you try to turn it out from the pan or it could break apart.
My daughter suggested the addition of chocolate chips. Sounds good to me! 1 cup should do it.
This bread can be frozen. Allow the banana bread to cool and wrap with plastic wrap in two layers. Wrap with foil, place in a freezer-safe zip-top bag and label your bread. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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