Growing up, dessert nut breads were family favorites, and at a young age I discovered that these loaves make great gifts for many occasions. With the first recipe below, you don't have to worry about spending hours in the kitchen to make a delicious, pretty treat for yourself or someone else. Or, if you're feeling more adventurous (and patient), you can opt for a recipe that starts from scratch. To see both, read more.
From Real Simple
Ingredients
1 box yellow cake mix
1 package Jell-O Instant Banana Cream Pudding & Pie Filling
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
4 eggs
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions
- Mix all the ingredients well.
- Pour into 2 large or 4 small greased loaf pans.
- Bake at 350° F for 40 to 45 minutes.
Makes 2 large or 4 small loaves.
CALORIES 307(1% from fat); FAT 17g (sat 2g); CHOLESTEROL 54mg; CALCIUM 57mg; CARBOHYDRATE 36g; SODIUM 326mg; PROTEIN 4mg; FIBER 1g; IRON 1mg
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From Gourmet
Ingredients
2/3 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 large eggs
2 very ripe medium bananas
3 oz walnuts, chopped (1 cup)
Directions
- Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan and line bottom of pan with wax paper or parchment, then grease paper.
- Mix together milk and lemon juice and let stand until milk curdles, about 1 minute.
- Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a bowl.
- Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating until combined, then beat in bananas until combined. (Mixture will look curdled.)
- Add flour mixture to banana mixture alternately with milk, mixing at low speed just until batter is smooth. Stir in walnuts.
- Pour into loaf pan and bake until a wooden pick or skewer inserted in center of bread comes out clean, about 1 hour.
- Cool bread in pan on a rack 20 minutes, then invert bread onto rack.
- Remove paper and turn bread right side up on rack to cool completely.
Makes 1 (9-inch) loaf.
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Bruno Magli
La Senza
Velvet
Both sound like there are a lot of additives. I've made a more stripped-down version that is very tasty and moist. But if I had to choose which one sounds best, I'd go with the second recipe. The Jell-O in the first recipe turns me off.
1I agree...that Jell-O version doesn't sound very good and the photo of it just looks wrong. I've never come across banana bread that color!
2I make a banana nut bread with coconut and toasted pecans...it's really called Jamaican Bread though. I'm not even gonna put jello in my bread. My kids would have a fit!
3My daughters and I just made Banana Bread on Sunday. Our recipe is not fancy but it is tasty. We do not put nuts in our bread. Nuts in bread are just plain wrong.
The recipe we use is the one my dad developed. The secret ingredient is 1/2 cup of sour milk. or 1/2 cup of milk with 1 tsp of vinegar. Sounds gross but definitely not.
4I spent years cultivating my own special (secret recipe)
5I've been making the Real Simple version for about 3 years now, and I've yet to meet someone that didn't love it. So easy too!
6Not a fan of artificial additives in food I make, so I would definitely try the second one.
7cddlykoala - good to hear it. i'm going to try it. it's not jello people, it's pudding/pie filling that's jello brand. calm down!
8I've been making mine with yogurt instead of butter lately. It's healthier, and it makes the bread super moist.
9Tlsgirl...I'd love the recipe!
10My fiance loves banana bread so I've made it a lot. It's really easy to make homemade. I would never ever make the version with cake mix and pudding mix. Blech. I have a great recipe from America's Test Kitchen or somewhere that finishes the bread off with some brown sugar sprinkled on top right before baking. Makes the crust sweet and extra crunchy - yummmmm!
11oooh i've NEVER thought to use banana pudding mix in the recipe so this is a great new one for m.e i think that i might have to try this recipe during the fall since i feel like it'll take me less time and have a different flavor
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