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Looking for the perfect banana nut bread? This bakery-style recipe features dark brown sugar, whole-milk yogurt, and toasted walnuts for incredible moisture.

Banana nut bread: The Ultimate Bakery-Style Loaf

A deeply flavorful, incredibly moist banana nut bread featuring dark brown sugar, whole-milk yogurt, and a touch of bourbon for the ultimate bakery-style experience at home.
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Calories: 320
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pan Prep
  • 1 tbsp Salted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan
Wet Ingredients
  • 1 cup Dark brown sugar (3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon) 173 grams
  • 0.66 cup Canola oil 131 grams
  • 0.25 cup Whole-milk plain yogurt 57 grams
  • 2 large Eggs Room temperature
  • 2 tsp Pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp Bourbon Rum works too
  • 1.75 cup Mashed super ripe bananas About 3 to 4 bananas (395 grams)
Dry Ingredients
  • 1.25 cup All-purpose flour 160 grams
  • 0.75 cup Whole-wheat flour 90 grams
  • 2 tsp Baking powder
  • 0.75 tsp Kosher salt
  • 0.5 cup Chopped toasted walnuts 60 grams

Method
 

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8 ½x4 ½–inch loaf pan with the salted butter. Set the loaf pan on a rimmed sheet tray for easy handling.
  2. Combine the brown sugar, canola oil, yogurt, eggs, vanilla, and bourbon in a medium bowl. Whisk until smooth. Add the mashed banana and whisk again.
  3. Combine the flours, baking powder, and salt in a separate, larger bowl. Stir to combine.
  4. Add the liquid ingredients to this dry mixture and use a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to gently stir until just combined. Fold in the walnuts gently.
  5. Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan. Bake for about 75 minutes (rotating halfway through), or until a sharp knife or cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Check frequently toward the end to avoid overbaking.
  6. Let the pan cool until it's warm enough that you can comfortably touch. Turn out the loaf onto a cooling rack to cool completely, domed side facing up. Serve in thick slices.

Notes

Expert Tip: Ensure your bananas are almost completely black for the best moisture and natural sugar content. If the top of the bread is browning too quickly during baking, loosely tent a piece of foil over the top of the pan.