Banana bread. It’s dessert, it’s breakfast, it’s a snack… it’s delicious and the only way to improve on a basic loaf of banana goodness is by topping it with a sweet, crunchy streusel, which is exactly what we are doing today.
Let’s get started…
The first and most important ingredient in banana bread is not just bananas, it is overly ripe bananas. A bananas flavor intensifies as it ripens guaranteeing that your banana bread will have bold, sweet banana flavors throughout the entire loaf, so the next time you see your bananas begin to brown take it as your sign that you need to make some banana bread.
Although we want to use browned, overly ripe bananas in banana bread, there is such a thing as too ripe. If your bananas peel is browned (or even black) that is ok, but if you open it up and the flesh is brown or smells like alcohol then you have unfortunately waited too long.
Once your bananas have reached their optimal ripeness, it is time to get baking.
Gather 4 tablespoons of softened butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 large egg, 2 tablespoons of sour cream, 1 cup of all purpose flour and 1 teaspoon of baking powder along with 2 large overly ripe bananas.
In a large bowl, whisk the softened butter with the brown sugar, granulated sugar, vanilla extract, the spices, a large egg and the sour cream until completely combined.
Add the bananas and use a stiff fork to break them down and evenly distribute them throughout the batter.
Note: If you want to ensure you have no little banana bits peaking through your break, smash the bananas down completely smooth in a separate bowl and then add them into the batter.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined and transfer the batter into a greased and parchment lined loaf pan. I use a 9″x5″, but if you want to use an 8″x4″ you definitely can, but you will need to bake the bread a little longer as it will be a thicker, taller loaf.
To make the streusel topping, combine 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of sea salt and then cut in 3 tablespoons of cold butter until the butter is evenly distributed and broken down into pea sized pieces.
Sprinkle the streusel topping over the batter and top with some coarse sugar.
Bake your streusel topped loaf in a 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center clean. Quick breads can have widely varied baking times. I’ve had these loaves be ready at 38 minutes, but I have also had them take almost 50 minutes to fully bake through, so use the 40-45 minutes as a loose guideline, but wait for the toothpick to come out clean before removing it from the oven.
Once the loaf is fully baked, let it rest in the pan for about 15 minutes and then transfer it directly onto a cooling rack to continue cooling.
Let’s start by talking about the streusel topping. It is sweet, it is crunchy and the sea salt peaks through to round everything out perfectly.
Now let’s talk about the actual banana bread. It is moist, tender and boldly banana. No need for nuts or chocolate chips here, just beautiful banana flavor thanks to those bananas that hung out on the counter a little past their prime.
This is completely unnecessary, but I made a quick batch of sweet whipped yogurt to dollop over my breakfast slice… and my afternoon snack slice too.
I know banana bread was overdone a few years back, but don’t let that distract you from the fact that it is really good and can be enjoyed for any reason and any time of day and I love that.
And I also love this banana bread.
Banana Streusel Bread
Ingredients
Banana Bread
- 4 tablespoons of butter, softened
- 1/4 cup of brown sugar
- 1/4 cup of granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon of cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon of salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons of sour cream
- 1 cup of all purpose flour
- 2 large overly ripe bananas, mashed smooth
Streusel Topping
- 1/2 cup of all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- a pinch of sea salt
- 3 tablespoons of butter, cold
- 1 tablespoon of coarse sugar (for topping)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees
- Grease and line a 9”x5” loaf pan with parchment paper
- In a large bowl, whisk 4 tablespoons of softened butter with 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup of granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, 1 large egg and 2 tablespoons of sour cream until smooth
- Add 2 large overly ripe mashed bananas into the bowl and mix until evenly distributed
- Whisk in a cup of all purpose flour and a teaspoon of baking powder until mostly combined
- Transfer the mixture into the prepared loaf pan
- In a small dish, cut 3 tablespoons of cold butter into 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 3/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon and a pinch of salt until the butter is evenly distributed and in pea sized pieces
- Transfer the streusel topping over the batter and sprinkle a tablespoon of coarse sugar over the streusel
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick will come out of the center dry
- Allow the loaf to cool for 15 minutes in the loaf pan placed over a cooling rack and then transfer the loaf directly into the cooling rack to continue cooling
- Enjoy warm or at room temperature
