Spiced Banana Bread

Prep Work Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a standard loaf pan with butter or nonstick spray. Mash the bananas in a bowl until mostly smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger.

Mixing the Batter In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract, followed by the mashed bananas and mix until combined. Gently fold in the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined. Avoid overmixing, as this can lead to a dense texture. Finally, fold in the walnuts.

Baking the Banana Bread Pour the batter into the greased loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. If the top browns too quickly, loosely tent the loaf with foil halfway through baking.

Cooling and Serving Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and transferring it to a wire rack. Slice and serve warm with butter or honey.