Banana Bread with Crunchy Sugar Topping

I have one more recipe to share from the special baking book, Midwest Made: Big, Bold Baking from the Heartland by Shauna Sever. (for now!) In the book, this recipe is titled “The Only Banana Bread You’ll Ever Need.” That is a little over the top for me- I always welcome new recipes for banana bread. 🙂

In this version, the super moist bread is topped with crunchy, snowy granulated sugar. The sugar is dampened and clumped together before sprinkling it over the prepared batter. I had never used this technique and I loved it. The topping looked beautiful and had a wonderful contrasting texture.

I weighed the bananas and all of the dry ingredients. I modified the recipe by baking it in a Pullman loaf pan, adjusting the baking time accordingly. We loved it!

Yield: One loaf, Serves 8 to 10

• nonstick cooking spray for the pan
• 1 3/4 cups (400g) mashed, very ripe bananas (I used 3 1/2 bananas)
• 3/4 cup plus 2 T (196g) firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (112g) vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup (75g) well-shaken buttermilk, at room temperature
• 2 large eggs
• 1 T dark rum, optional (I omitted it)
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups plus 2 T (272g) unbleached all-purpose flour, spooned & leveled
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 3 T (38g) granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat it to 325 degrees, preferably on convection.
2. Spray a 9×5-inch or Pullman loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line it with parchment paper with a couple of inches of overhang on the long sides. Lightly coat the parchment with nonstick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, stir together the mashed bananas, brown sugar, oil, buttermilk, eggs, rum (if using), and vanilla.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
5. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet and fold until just blended.
6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
7. Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl.
8. Using your fingertips, sprinkle water over the top of the sugar. Work the water into the sugar, pinching it together, until it begins to resemble snow. (It should barely hold together when it is pinched together.) To add additional water, sprinkle water over the top using the opposite (clean) hand.
9. Sprinkle the dampened sugar over the batter, aiming to get it clumped up together in spots.
10. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes in a Pullman pan or 60 to 70 minutes in a standard loaf pan.
11. Let cool for 20 minutes in the pan, then use the parchment paper to lift the loaf out of the pan and cool completely on a wire rack.

Note: Bread can be stored at room temperature, wrapped in plastic wrap and/or placed in an airtight container, for up to 5 days.

About Josette@thebrookcook

I live in Stony Brook, New York on Long Island. I love garlic and baking. My hobby (and love) is to try new recipes. My favorite recipe resources include The New York Times, Food and Wine, Bon Appetit, and Martha Stewart Living. Enjoy!

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