Cinnamon walnut banana bread made with It’s Just! Raw Walnuts, ripe mashed banana, brown sugar and honey. This 9 × 5-inch loaf has a gently spiced crumb with chopped walnuts throughout.
Makes 1 loaf, approximately 12 slices. Preparation: about 20 minutes. Batter rest: 10 minutes. Baking: about 70 minutes, plus any extra time needed for the center. Allow additional time for cooling.
Which walnuts go into this banana bread?
Use It’s Just! Raw Walnuts, weighed before chopping. Both halves and pieces work because they are chopped for the batter. The recipe uses 57 g; the 20 oz retail pouch shown in the ingredient photo is not the quantity for one loaf.
How ripe should the bananas be?
Choose bananas that mash easily and have well-browned skins, rather than firm green fruit. Weigh 340 g after peeling and mashing. Banana sizes vary, so a count of whole bananas is less precise than the measured amount.
Why use the stated loaf-pan size?
The batter is intended for a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. A different pan changes the depth of batter and how quickly the middle cooks. Keep the pan size for this version; do not assume a smaller pan or muffin tin uses the same baking time.
What should the batter look like?
Before baking, it is thick enough to transfer with a spoon or spatula and level gently. Small banana lumps and visible chopped walnuts are expected. It is a quick-bread batter, not an elastic dough to knead or shape by hand.
When are the walnuts added?
Fold them in after adding the flour, before filling the pan. Distributing small pieces through the batter gives walnut texture in the slices. The photographed loaf has no added walnut topping, chocolate chips, icing or glaze.
How can I tell whether the center is baked?
Look for a set middle rather than judging only the browned top. Insert a thin skewer into the center. Moist crumbs can cling to it, but streaks of uncooked batter mean the loaf needs longer. The foil cover protects the top while the center finishes baking.
Why cool the loaf before cutting?
The recipe includes a short rest in the pan followed by cooling on a rack. Cutting while it is still very hot can damage the slice. Let the loaf cool completely, then use a bread knife to cut the portions you need.
Can I replace the flour or sweetener?
This version uses all-purpose wheat flour, brown sugar and honey. It is not an allulose or gluten-free formula. Changing those ingredients can change the batter and bake, so use a separately developed recipe for those substitutions.
What allergens should I check?
The recipe contains walnuts, wheat, milk from butter, and eggs. Check the individual product labels for allergen and cross-contact information. It is not nut-free, dairy-free or egg-free.
How should I serve and keep it?
Serve plain as pictured. Let the loaf cool before wrapping it so that the crust is not enclosed while warm. For longer keeping, freeze wrapped portions and thaw only what you need.
Set the oven to 325°F (165°C). Grease a 9 × 5-inch loaf pan. Mash and weigh the banana, chop the walnuts, and measure the remaining ingredients.
Work the softened butter with the brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt until evenly blended. Use a sturdy spatula or a mixer fitted with a flat beater.
Mix in the mashed banana, honey and eggs. Small banana lumps are fine; the mixture does not need to look perfectly smooth.
Stir in the flour, then fold in the chopped walnuts. Stop when no dry flour remains; do not knead the batter.
Transfer the thick batter to the prepared pan and level it gently. Leave the filled pan at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Bake for 45 minutes, then loosely cover the top with foil. Continue for about 25 minutes. Check the middle with a thin skewer: moist crumbs are acceptable, but wet batter means it needs more time. Check again after another 5 minutes if necessary.
Rest the loaf in its pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a cooling rack. Let it cool completely before cutting. One loaf gives approximately 12 slices, depending on thickness.
