Banana Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1.5 teaspoon baking powder
• 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 0.25 teaspoon nutmeg
• 0.25 teaspoon ginger
• 0.25 teaspoon salt
• 1.5 cups mashed bananas
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 0.5 cup butter
• 0.25 cup crushed walnuts

Method

Cream the butter and sugar together until pale and fluffy, roughly three minutes at medium speed. This baking step incorporates air into the fat—the sugar crystals create tiny pockets that trap bubbles during mixing. What you're building here is structure; these pockets will set as the crumb forms and give you the tender, open texture that separates quick-breads from dense banana mush. Once the mixture has lightened noticeably in colour, add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. The emulsion—the suspension of fat, water, and egg protein—is fragile; rushing this stage by adding both eggs at once will cause the batter to split and separate.

Mash the bananas thoroughly in a separate bowl until almost no large pieces remain. Fold them into the creamed mixture with a spatula until just combined. The acid and pectin in the fruit will activate your baking-soda immediately, so don't delay the next step. Whisk together the flour, baking-powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt in another bowl. The spices should be evenly distributed—a sift helps, but a vigorous whisk works if your flour is fresh.

Pour the dry mixture into the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until no streaks of flour remain. Stop here. Overmixing develops gluten, which turns quick-breads tough and gummy. Stir in the crushed walnuts. Pour the batter into a buttered loaf-tin and tap the base on the counter three times to release large air pockets that will collapse during baking.

Oven-baking at 175°C for 50 to 60 minutes. The top should be golden-brown and slightly domed. Check at 45 minutes by inserting a wooden skewer into the centre—if it comes out clean or with only a few moist crumbs clinging to it, the loaf is done. If the top browns too fast before the centre is set, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it. The crumb will continue to firm as it cools; turning it out onto a rack within ten minutes prevents steam from softening the crust. Slice only after it has cooled completely—cutting warm banana bread tears the structure apart.