It’s that time again where I have a bunch of brown bananas sitting on my counter, seemingly growing browner by the minute if I don’t finally go and bake something with them. On most days I would look for a bar or cake recipe, you know, something different. But, there is something comforting about plain old banana bread and I felt like I could use that today. Hmmm…what recipe to try is always the question. I have heard that Flour Bakery makes a mean banana bread. After all, it must be called Famous Banana Bread for a reason, right? Everything I have made from the Flour Bakery cookbook has been delicious, so I decided to go with it.
I love to make quick breads because, I guess as the name implies, they are quick. 
No yeast and no waiting for dough to rise. Nope, you just mix your batter, pour it into the pan and pop it into the oven. It is so easy, that I had the batter mixed and the bread baked while Alex took his morning nap. Heck, I even had time to take pictures before he was woken up by our dog, who apparently decided Alex had slept enough and plowed through his bedroom door. I mean, what the heck Walter? You don’t even like the baby, unless he is eating and dropping food as you wait impatiently below his high chair. Sorry to get off track, but I am still not happy about that. Back to the bread. What you end up with is a delicious, moist (Ugh. I hate that word, but I can’t think of another word to describe it) bread packed with banana flavor, just waiting to be slathered with butter and sprinkled with sugar. Delicious. I can see why it is famous. ;D
Flour Bakery’s Famous Banana Bread
Yield: one 9 x 5 loaf
1 1/2 cups (210 grams) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (230 grams) sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup (100 grams) canola oil
3 1/2 very ripe, medium bananas, peeled and mashed (1 1/2 cups mashed/340 grams)
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream I used sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup (75 grams) walnut halves, toasted and chopped I omitted
Position rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 F. Butter a 9 x 5 loaf pan.
In a bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment, beat sugar and eggs on medium x 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
On low, slowly drizzle in oil. Don’t pour it all in at once. You want to pour it in over 1 minute, to keep all the air you just beat into the egg-sugar mixture. Add the mashed bananas, creme fraiche, and vanilla. Continue to mix on low just until combined.
Using a spatula, fold in dry ingredients and nuts (if using) just until thoroughly combined. No flour streaks should be visible and the nuts evenly distributed. Pour into the greased loaf pan and smooth top. Bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours, or until golden on top and the center springs back when pressed. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes, then pop out of the pan to finish cooling.
The banana bread can be stored tightly wrapped in plastic wrap at room temp up to 3 days. Or, it can be well wrapped and frozen up to 2 weeks.
Source: Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston’s Flour Bakery and Cafe
