Fancy Navajo Banana Bread - TheFancyNavajo

Hi friends, happy March! I can’t believe winter is almost over and we are heading into spring. Today I am excited to share my recipe for Fancy Navajo Banana Bread. I don’t know about you, but banana bread is such a nostalgic treat and its the perfect way to use up ripened bananas. What I love about banana bread is that you can whip everything up in one bowl and it doesn’t take too much time to prepare and bake. I love nuts in my banana bread, especially walnuts, it adds a little more depth of flavor. Paired with a hot cup of coffee, this is the perfect treat!

This recipe is also little more special to me. My mom always loved banana bread. Every time i would go home, she would ask me to make her banana bread. So I’d whip up a loaf, but each time I made it, it never came out great. One time I made banana bread and it was all white. No trace of the signature brown caramel color with black speckles of banana bread. I giggled wondering how that happened. The next few times the loaf would fall flat or just wouldn’t have the signature banana bread taste. So over the years I’ve tried different recipes and variations trying to master banana bread, but never landing on the perfect recipe, until now. Throughout the years, my mom never complained about the flavor and of course encouraged me each time I made a loaf.

After my mom’s passing, I found a little sticky note with a start of a recipe on it. It was odd, because my mom never wrote recipes down. As with most matriarchs, she measured things with her heart and soul. So I was curious as to why she had this list of ingredients. There was no title, no directions, just a list of ingredients which were slightly different from front to back. I realized it was a recipe for banana bread just based on the list of ingredients. So I tucked the recipe in my pocket, and challenged myself to finish the recipe. Which ingredients would work best and using my knowledge of baking bread. I tried different versions and realized which ones worked best. I am happy to share this special recipe with you all. Each bite is like a warm hug sent from above.

Just a few tips for making this recipe:

If your bananas aren’t ripe, slice them up then put them in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute. Once cooled, mash them.
Please use melted butter! If you don’t have butter on hand then vegetable oil or neutral oil, will work as well. But adding the butter adds so much more flavor to this.
If you don’t like nuts, leave them out or substitute with chopped pecans or pumpkin seeds.
I like using parchment paper, it makes it easier for the bread to come out of the pan, and less clean up.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe and as always if you ever make these, send me a picture!! Tag me in a photo on social media or email me a picture. I love seeing your creations.

*** If you are interested in sharing recipes with your company or organization please email me TheFancyNavajo@gmail.com for permission***

Shimá’s Fancy Navajo Banana Bread

Ingredients:

2 large ripe bananas or about ¾ cups mashed
1 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup melted butter, cooled
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup walnuts, chopped

Directions:

Move oven rack to middle and preheat oven to 350°F
Grease or line a loaf pan and set aside
To a large bowl add in mashed bananas, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs, and baking soda and mix together until combined.
Slowly add in cooled melted butter and mixed until combined.
Add in flour and mix until combined.
Add in walnuts and mix until combined.
Pour batter into loaf and pan and smooth top with a spatula.
Bake in the oven for 1 hour or until a toothpick comes out clean in the middle.
Let cool for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
Enjoy!