Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread
Why youāll like it
Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread is essentially a crunchy spiced nut bread with bananas added to give the bread sweetness and moisture. I like to use this recipe as a base and voilĆ ā you end up with a fruit bake or a quick savory bread. Sometimes I love dressing it up a bit and covering it with a creamy cheese mascarpone that I usually put on top of Barefoot Contessa carrot cake.Ā
In a nutshell, we love it cause:
- itās SO crunchy
- versatile (10 recipes in 1)
- never fail recipe
- quick whipping it up.
Video
Tips & Tricks
- To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- If the tops are browning more than youād like, tent with foil towards the end of baking.
- To store, wrap the bread in foil in an airtight container at room temperature. Otherwise, refrigerate to extend its shelf life.
- Add chocolate chips or dried fruits for extra flavor variations.
Variations & Ingredient Substitutions
Turn it into a banana oat bake, by replacing part or all the flour with rolled oats. Replace the pecans with pumpkin and chia seeds. adding salt and omitting the spices and sugar turns it into a quick savory bread that you can serve with butter, cream cheese or serving next to another recipe from Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Women Cheese Balls.
Iāve discovered several ways to dress the banana bread:
- Coconut Cream Cheese Dressing from the Coconut Cake recipe by Ina Garten
- My homemade quick lotus biscoff sauce
- Top the bread with 1 side of chocolate pieces and the other half with strawberry bits. It looks lovely and makes both my kids happy.
- Serve each piece with Greek Yogurt and banana slices.
Storage Instructions
To keep your Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread fresh and delicious:
- Cool Completely: Allow the banana nut bread to cool completely before putting it in an airtight container or wrapping it tightly in plastic.Ā
- Store leftovers: If you plan to consume the banana nut bread within 2-3 days, store it at room temperature.Ā
- Refrigerate: To extend its shelf life for up to a week, refrigerate the bread in an airtight container.
- Freeze: For longer-term storage, freeze individual slices or the entire loaf wrapped in slices or as a whole loaf in an airtight freezer bag or container. Thaw at room temperature and optionally reheat the slices in the oven or microwave for a warm freshly baked taste.Ā
How to serve Pioneer Woman Banana Nut Bread?
- Enjoy a warm slice with a pat of butter or cream cheese for a delicious breakfast.
- Toast the bread and spread it with peanut butter for a satisfying snack.
- Turn it into a decadent dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzling caramel sauce.
- Serve it alongside a cup of coffee or tea for a delightful afternoon pick-me-up.
- Wrap individual slices and pack them in lunch boxes or take them on the go for a quick and convenient snack.
Ā
Health Info
- Calories: 407.89
- Sugar: 34.54
- Sodium: 311.52
- Fat: 19.29
- Carbohydrates: 56.98
- Fiber: 2.75
- Protein: 4.85
Description
Ingredients
For the flour mixture
- 1Ā½ cups All-purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- Ā½ tsp Kosher Salt
- Ā¼ tsp Baking Powder
- Ā½ tsp Cinnamon
- Ā½ tsp Ginger
- Ā½ tsp (a pinch) Nutmeg grated
For the wet mixture
- Ā½ cup Granulated Sugar
- Ā¼ cup Light Brown Sugar
- 6 tbsp Salted Butter
- 1 large Egg
- 1Ā½ cups (or 3) Ripe Banana mashed
For the banana cake
- 1 cup Pecans chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ĀŗF / 176ĀŗC. Grease a loaf pan (8 x 4 inches or 9 x 5 inches).
- Mix the flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and spices together in a bowl.
- Mix the sugar with the melted butter, and eggs. Then fold in the mashed banana puree and continue to blend.
- Sprinkle the flour mixture over the wet mixture and fold in blending with the hand mixer and fold in the chopped pecans.
- Pour batter into the pans. Bake for 45ā60 minutes. See tips below.
- Cool for 5 minutes and then run a knife around the edge to pop the loaf out. Cool on a wire cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
- To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick in the center and make sure it comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- If the tops are browningĀ more than youād like, tent with foil towards the end of baking.
- To store, wrap the bread in foil.
I have tried this recipe once or twice with my kids as enjoy bonding while baking. The way the ripe bananas infuse their sweet flavor into every bite, combined with the crunchy goodness of the nuts, is simply divine.
However, could you please clarify the baking time and oven temperature? Is there any way to expedite the process, or is the full 60-minute bake time necessary?
You can try to increase the oven temperature to 200C or 290F (-20 degrees with fan) and you might gain 5 to 10 minutes. However, this also depends on your oven. Unfortunately with banana bread even using an air fryer doesnāt decrease baking time. On the upside, the recipe is very easy to make and also each to freeze so that you can prepare ahead.