Sweet, moist, and full of buttery banana and walnut flavors, Mom's Banana Bread is perfect for breakfast, lunch, or any time you need a sweet little pick-me-up!
Preheat oven to 350°F | 177°C.Spray a 9x5 inch loaf pan with non-stick coating or grease with butter.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Add the eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice. Mix well.
With mixer on low, add half of the sour cream and half of the mashed bananas.
From this point on, mix everything by hand.
Using a spatula, stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. (Do not do it the other way around.)
Fold in the remaining sour cream, walnuts, lemon zest, and bananas. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake at 350°F | 177°C for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
Cool loaf for 10 minutes before removing from pan, and then allow it to cool completely on a wire rack.
Notes
Tips for Moist Banana Bread
Use very ripe bananas for this recipe. Ripe bananas have a higher sugar content and more intense banana flavor, making them the perfect choice for baking. Bananas used for bread should soft, with a peel heavily spotted brown.
Mash the bananas with the back of a fork or a potato masher. Do not puree them! You want the texture of the bananas to be slightly "chunky."
Add the ingredients in Order. You are basically making a cake, and the order you do things matters.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet - not the other way around. Believe it or not, this matters. Adding the wet ingredients to the dry can result in pockets of flour and clumpy, inconsistent mixing.
Mix in the dry ingredients by hand.
Don't overmix the batter. Overmixing can result in extra gluten development, which can make your quick bread gummy and unpleasantly chewy.
To maximize the shelf life, wrap banana bread tightly with foil or cling film to prevent it from drying out. If you are going to freeze it, add an extra layer with a resealable freezer bag.• Counter: 2-3 days. • Refrigerator: About a week. • Freezer: If properly frozen, banana bread will last for over a year; however, it is best eaten in the first 3-4 months, as it may develop freezer burnt if kept longer.