Flour's famous banana bread from Flour: Spectacular Recipes from Boston's Flour Bakery + Cafe (page 66) by Joanne Chang and Christie Matheson

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Ingredients

ground cinnamon
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all-purpose flour
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- King Arthur Baking - United States
- Hayden Flour Mills - United States
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

Happykikkers on December 29, 2024

Very good! I used lactose-free crème fraiche. Moist and lost of flavour. Love the walnuts in it. My bananas weren’t super ripe so the bread wasn’t too sweet, just the right amount!
Beth891 on July 06, 2024

Followed the recipe almost exactly but subbed pecans for walnuts and lacto free yoghurt for the creme fraiche. It needed 1h10mins at 160deg (my top oven, not fan) but it was perfect, golden brown and still lovely and moist. I was worried that it was a little wet when putting it in the oven but it's nice and moist and the pecans are really nicely distributed (haven't sunk). I'd make again!
lholtzman on June 24, 2024

Excellent. Moist and spongy. We gobbled it up.
Pandan on June 09, 2024

Very good banana bread recipe! I reduced the sugar to 150g, was perfect that way. My only complaint is that mine got too dark on top after one hour. Will reduce the temperature and/or baking time next time.
hlange on January 23, 2024

Really nice, this is my new staple quick and easy banana bread. I left out the walnuts, only used 1 c sugar, and we only had 2 instead of 3 very ripe bananas on hand. I thought the balance of flavors was perfect.
mdagl on January 16, 2024

Spongy and moist. A solid banana bread recipe. The exterior comes out a lot darker than the recipe photo shows. Does not top our existing family favorite recipe, but it's still a good option.
LaurenB on January 11, 2022

Made good banana bread, but was a bit too moist. Need to mash the bananas up a little better next time and cook a few minutes longer (baked for a little under an hour)
snoozermoose on December 14, 2021

The GOAT of banana bread recipes. Moist, light, nice crumb, not sticky at all (my banana bread pet peeve), not too sweet. It's perfect. I've made a ton of banana bread recipes but I keep coming back to this one.
mamacrumbcake on May 18, 2021

This is a classic banana bread, easy to make, and very yummy.
michalow on February 04, 2021

Echoing lots of comments before me -- this banana bread is excellent. I reduced the sugar and incorporated some wheat flour and cardamom. Would be curious to try subbing in some rye flour next time. Baking time in my oven was about 80 minutes.
Jane on March 31, 2020

I have a favorite banana bread recipe I've been making for years so I've never felt tempted to make this. But I'm away from home and my recipes so I thought I would try this. It was really good - very moist, lots of flavor, not too sweet.
Zosia on October 29, 2018

One of the best banana breads I've ever made or eaten and a firm family favourite. It's moist, not too dense and actually tastes like bananas. I've played with the recipe over the years and now make it with whole wheat pastry flour and Greek yogurt (in place of creme fraiche).
Lepa on May 17, 2018

This is very good banana bread. I loved the rich banana flavor and thought the spice/salt balance was perfect. My family complained that it didn't have chocolate chips but I'm not inclined to mess with perfection. I should note that the top of my bread looked dark brown and burnt, not at all like the picture. I was concerned that something had gone wrong but one taste and I knew that it had turned out very well.
jnetlw on August 20, 2017

Added some toasted walnuts layered on top that added a lovely crunch to the crust. Definitely replacing my favorite buttermilk banana bread recipe.
Rinshin on July 17, 2017

I made this again and reduced the sugar to 1 C. Texture was perfectly fine and it was better for us but still sweeter than we like. I sure like the crumb and bread color much better than other banana breads. I think this has become my favorite banana bread but it's the sweetness I like to soften. After it sits for few days, it gets less sweeter but it's sweeter than I like on the first day.
Rinshin on June 28, 2017

Very good texture esp the crust. Almost cookie like crispness the first day. Compared to other banana breads, it is a little darker when fully baked. Although I liked the texture and the overall taste, it was somewhat too sweet for my taste. I would like it better if sugary taste was reduced. I used 2 bananas which weighed almost what this recipe called for and yogurt instead of creme fraiche. Timing for baking was accurate ie mine was ready in 1 hour and 10 min.
anya_sf on June 15, 2017

My family's absolute favorite banana bread. I've tried many recipes and this is the best, although not the simplest or healthiest. I've had good luck substituting white whole wheat flour and yogurt for the white flour and creme fraiche. I would like to reduce the sugar (it's not overly sweet - I just want to be healthier), but am afraid the bread will not turn out right. I believe the sugar affects the texture and moisture of the bread, which are perfect as written. Maybe one of these days I'll risk an experiment. For best results, I believe you must accurately measure the flour and bananas (I weigh them) and not deviate much. I hate that it calls for 3.5 bananas, but there isn't much leavening (only 1 tsp baking soda), so throwing in the extra 1/2 banana may result in overly dense, gummy bread. The mixing method (whip the sugar and eggs for 5 minutes!) is something I've never seen in any other quick bread recipe, but may be critical in this one - again, I've not deviated.
Smokeydoke on December 01, 2016

Delicious! Just as good as everyone says. Cacao nibs sound great, as the bread isn't sweet at all, it's almost a snacking bread. I had mine with sweet honey butter and it was over-the-top good!
yassoma on August 15, 2016

This is the banana bread that made me fall in love with banana bread... However, since then I have graduated to the banana cake in Pichet Ong's cookbook, "The Sweet Spot". It's incredible.
Frogcake on May 01, 2016

I've made this bread many times with positive results every time. In fact recently while in a big hurry I took a risk and threw everything including semi frozen bananas into my food processor. It still turned out crazy-good! Someone else suggested throwing in cacao nibs, which are very nice in this bread.
Carpecookie on April 09, 2016

Excellent recipe for banana bread. Cacao nibs make a nice addition without adding sweetness
MmeFleiss on March 02, 2016

I made this sans walnuts (not a fan), and this might have replaced the family favorite recipe.
wcassity on January 31, 2015

Our new favorite recipe for banana bread. We've made it twice. Great moist texture. I subbed in some whole wheat flour. Good for when I've got a bit of creme fraiche left in the fridge.
gastronom on September 16, 2014

My go-to recipe for banana bread. To increase the nutritional value, I substitute white whole wheat flour for all purpose and double qty of nuts. Often use yogurt instead of sour cream and still comes out well.
Melanie on March 02, 2014

Deliciously light result. I halved the recipe (except the bananas - I used 2 or 200g worth) and substituted milk for the sour cream. I baked in muffin tins for about 20 minutes at 150 C (made 8). I loved the reminder to toast the walnuts - the flavour had lots of depth.