Banana Bread, from Scratch.

By Agadd @ashleegadd

One of the best perks of working from home is having time to do things that I never had time to do before. I’ve recently rediscovered my love of baking, among other things….

I used this recipe from Real Simple, only I swapped the brown sugar for 1/3 cup amber organic agave nectar, and added a tablespoon of flaxseed to make it a tad healthier. {Tip: when using agave nectar in baking, reduce baking temperature by 25 degrees, and add an additional 5-10 minutes to baking time.}

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled, plus more for the pan
  • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3 ripe bananas, mashed (about 1 1/4 cups)
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped

Directions

  1. Heat oven to 350° F. Butter an 8½-by-4½-inch loaf pan. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.
  2. In a large bowl, mix together the butter, bananas, granulated and light brown sugars, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix); fold in the pecans.
  3. Spread the batter in the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes (tent with foil if top browns too quickly). Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Happy baking!