Maple sugar and bananas come together in delicious and moist Maple Pecan Banana Bread loaf.
As my first bread loaf recipe ever I really was not sure what flavor combinations I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to start with banana bread because it is my husbands favorite bread, but also a staple in many homes. I did a quick Google search for flavor pairings with bananas and I was shocked to see just how many ingredients compliment bananas. So while I have many other flavors I want to try and share, today I am beginning with bananas, toasted pecans and pure maple syrup.
Learning bread was quite tricky. Actually the learning curve for ALL the new recipes (cakes, cookies and brownies) has taught me that baking is truly a science. And as much as the ingredients are critical, so are the methods. I tried approaching banana bread as I would with cake where I combined first the butter and sugar, creamed it, then the added eggs one by one, extract, next ingredients, etc etc....that did not work out in my favor. Half Baked Harvest recipe's method is what I ended up following - combining a bulk of the ingredients into a large bowl and mixing until smooth. And it worked out great!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
Easy To Make. Lucky for us you can make the bulk of this recipe in one large bowl. Which really helps with eliminating unnecessary dirty dishes!
Go Nuts. Literally, add nuts! I use toasted chopped pecans in this one, but you can even add walnuts or any other nut of your choosing. Or omit entirely if you prefer.
No More Wasted Bananas. If you are like me then you are buying bananas every week because your toddler and husband are obsessed. But, just sometimes, they don't eat them fast enough and we are left with some stragglers. This recipe helps use up those browning bananas in one of the best ways possible.
Baking Tips
Weigh Your Ingredients. You will have a better chance of success with this recipe if you weigh your ingredients. A kitchen scale is a low cost investment - as low as $10 if you purchase a simple one on Amazon. Volume measurements are provided for your convenience as well.
The Browner, The Better. You want your bananas to be very ripe. The skin should have lots of brown spots before you begin. If you are craving banana bread and your bananas aren't ready I recommend following the suggests from Bob's Red Mill for whatever may work best for you!
Room Temperature Ingredients. It's easier for your ingredients to blend together if they are room temperature. The eggs you can place in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes. The sour cream you can measure out 20 to 30 minutes before beginning.
Toasty Pecans. You can toast your pecans prior to baking to help provide a toastier, nuttier flavor to the bread. Or you can push straight through and add to the batter as is. Totally up to you! I found this article from Taste of Home as a helpful guide on toasting pecans.
Loaf Pan. You can either butter and flour the loaf pan, or spray with baking spray and lay a piece of parchment inside. Spray with more baking spray and then add in batter.
Ingredients
Please read through the ingredients list so you can familiarize yourself with each ingredient, along with suggestions or recommendations during the preparation or baking process.
Bananas. The star of the show has some rules we need to try and follow to help make this recipe delicious. First - the bananas need to be very ripe. I mean almost spotted brown ripe (as shown in photo). You want your bananas to be very ripe because it will mean a sweeter banana. Check out this guide from Southern Living that helps break down more details on a ripe banana.
Pure Maple Syrup and Sugar. We are not using the table maple syrup here. You want to use pure maple syrup and sugar. The pure maple sugar we will use in the bread to help add the flavor of maple syrup without messing with the texture of the bread. The pure maple syrup we will use in the maple butter for slathering the bread in after baking.
Sour Cream. This ingredient helps lend a bit of a tang into our bread while also helping to provide added moisture. You can substitute with Greek yogurt if need be.
Pecans. You can use pecans, or walnuts, or any nut that is your preference. You can toast them or add in as is.
Cinnamon. This spice helps add a bit of sweetness with the banana and maple.
Let's Make Maple Pecans Banana Bread
This recipe uses baking tools and ingredients that can be found in most homes. Please see recipe card for full list of equipment and ingredients.
Step 1: Combine all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon and fine sea salt. Whisk until well dispersed.
Step 2: In a separate bowl add bananas and mash with fork.
The mashed bananas should look like thick applesauce.
Step 3: In a large bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool before adding other ingredients.
Step 4: Add bananas, sugars, sour cream, vanilla and eggs to melted butter. Whisk until smooth and well combined.
Batter should look smooth and well combined with some large banana bits visible.
Step 5: Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
Step 6: Use spatula to gently fold in dry ingredients to wet. When flour is halfway incorporated, add pecans and continue gently folding.
Step 7: Prepare 9x5 loaf pan.
Step 8: Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth out with spatula.
Step 9: Top with pecans for added crunch. Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes.
Step 10: Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool in baking loaf for at least 1 hour before removing. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
Troubleshooting
Gummy Bread. Yikes, no one wants gummy banana bread. But unfortunately it happens to the best of us (it happened to me!). Over mixing is going to overdevelop the gluten and cause the bread to get gummy. So make sure when folding in the dry ingredients you do it gently and stop when you see just the barest of flour streaks remaining. This will help ensure you get a soft and moist bread all throughout.
Dry Bread. The culprit here might be the bread was over baked which can easily happen in an overly hot oven. I recommend an oven thermometer, but you can also watch for signs of doneness. Look for the bread pulling away from the sides, and you can insert a toothpick to the center - if it pulls away with only a bit of crumbs or banana than your loaf is done. Remove from oven and allow to set in the loaf pan for at least an hour.
Storage
The flavors of this banana bread really come alive the next day, and the following 2 to 3 days after. To keep the bread fresh store in a ziplock bag, or airtight container at room temperature. It will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the bread in a freezer safe ziplock bag or container for up to 3 months. To defrost remove from freezer and allow to come to room temperature in the bag/container - do not open. Microwave your slice of banana bread between 5 to 10 seconds before enjoying.
Other Recipes To Enjoy
Maple Pecan Banana Bread
Equipment
- mixing bowls
- whisk
- 9x5 loaf pan
- parchment paper
Ingredients
Maple Butter
- ½ cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
Maple Pecan Banana Bread
- 2 cup all purpose flour 260 g
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 113 g
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed 106 g
- ¼ cup pure maple sugar 40 g
- 3 large bananas, very ripe
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tbsp sour cream room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 cup chopped pecans toasted optional
Instructions
Maple Butter
- Combine butter, pure maple syrup and vanilla in small bowl and whisk until well combined. Set aside.
Maple Pecan Banana Bread
- Combine all purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon and fine sea salt. Whisk until well dispersed.
- In a separate bowl add bananas and mash with fork. Bananas should look like applesauce with some chunks when done.
- In a large bowl melt the butter. Allow to cool before adding other ingredients.
- Add bananas, sugars, sour cream, vanilla and eggs to melted butter. Whisk until smooth and well combined. Batter might look slightly lumpy due to banana pieces.
- Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.
- Use spatula to gently fold in dry ingredients to wet. When flour is halfway incorporated, add pecans and continue gently folding.
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare 9x5 loaf pan.
- Pour batter into loaf pan and smooth out with spatula.
- Top with pecans for added crunch. Bake at 350 F for 50 to 60 minutes.
- Remove from oven and place on wire rack to cool. Allow to cool in baking loaf for at least 1 hour before removing. Allow to cool completely before slicing.
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