Easy Apple Crisp

Buttermilk Banana Bread

Buttermilk Banana Bread

Ingredients

Makes About 8 Servings

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter, plus a little extra for the pan
• 3 medium bananas, very ripe
• ¾ cup buttermilk
• ¾ cup (packed) light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Method

1. About an hour ahead of time, unwrap the butter and place it in a large bowl
2. Use a table knife to cut it into 1-inch pieces, and let it stand at room temperature to soften
3. Adjust the oven rack to the center position and preheat the oven to 350°f (325°f if you’re using a glass pan)
4. Put a little soft butter on a paper towel, a piece of waxed paper, or a butter wrapper, and lightly grease the bottom and corners of a standard-sized loaf pan
5. No need to grease the sides
6. Peel the bananas, and place them in a medium-sized bowl
7. Mash with a fork until they form a mostly smooth pulp; then switch from mashing to mixing as you drizzle the buttermilk directly into the bananas
8. You can use the fork or a whisk
9. Keep mixing until the mixture is completely blended, and then set this aside
10. Crumble the brown sugar into the bowl with the softened butter
11. Use a handheld electric mixer at high speed (or if you don’t have one, use a whisk, with enthusiasm) to beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy
12. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides of the bowl a few times during this process
13. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition
14. Add the vanilla extract, and continue to beat for another minute or two, until everything is well combined
15. Combine the flour, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a second medium-sized bowl
16. Whisk slowly to blend
17. Add about half of this dry mixture to the butter mixture, stirring it in with a wooden spoon
18. Then stir in about half of the banana-buttermilk mixture
19. Repeat with the remaining dry mixture, followed by the remaining banana-buttermilk mixture, stirring from the bottom of the bowl after each addition, just enough to thoroughly blend without overmixing
20. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, taking care to scrape all of it in with a rubber spatula
21. Then use the spatula to spread the batter evenly
22. Bake for 50 to 70 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean
23. Remove the pan from the oven and allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing it
24. The best way to do this is to rap the pan sharply on the counter a few times to loosen the bread, and then let it slide out onto a cooling rack
25. To avoid crumbling, wait at least 20 minutes longer to slice and serve