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Flour's Famous Banana Bread

Flour bakery banana bread with a bakery-style open, moist crumb and a deep golden crust, baked at a lower oven temperature for a tender texture. The loaf gets a caramelized, walnut-studded topping and a clean toothpick finish after a long bake.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 10 servings
Course: Breakfast, Snack
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Dry ingredients
  • 2.5 cup all-purpose flour Measure and level for best crumb.
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 0.25 tsp salt
Wet ingredients
  • 0.5 cup unsalted butter Use room temperature so it creams smoothly.
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs Add one at a time for a stable batter.
  • 0.33 cup sour cream Adds moisture and tenderness.
  • 1.5 cup very ripe bananas About 3 bananas, mashed until mostly smooth.
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
Walnuts
  • 1 cup walnuts Lightly toast and chop for better flavor and texture.

Equipment

  • 1 sheet pan
  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Prep
  1. Preheat oven to 325°F and grease and flour a 9x5 loaf pan so the loaf releases cleanly after baking.
  2. Sift together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt, then set the dry mixture aside to distribute the leaveners evenly.
Mix batter
  1. Beat unsalted butter and sugar on high speed for about 5 minutes until very light and fluffy, which helps build a tender, airy crumb.
  2. Add large eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition to keep the batter smooth.
  3. Mix in sour cream, mashed very ripe bananas, and vanilla extract until the batter looks cohesive and thick.
  4. Fold in the flour mixture gently until just combined to avoid overmixing and keep the crumb open and moist.
  5. Fold in chopped walnuts so they are evenly distributed without deflating the batter.
Bake
  1. Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake for 60–70 minutes at 325°F until the top is deep brown and a toothpick comes out clean.

Notes

Pro tip: use very ripe bananas (yellow with brown spots) and don’t overmix once the flour is added—stop as soon as you no longer see dry streaks for the bakery-style open crumb. Store tightly wrapped at room temperature up to 3 days or refrigerate up to 5 days; freeze slices up to 2 months. For a lighter option, swap part of the butter for neutral oil (use 1/4 cup oil + 1/4 cup butter) for a slightly softer texture.