MOLASSES WALNUT BANANA BREAD
Makes 1 (8-inch) loaf
This crunchy-topped banana bread puts one of the season’s most beloved flavors on parade: molasses.
¼ cup whole buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup molasses
2 large eggs
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1½ cups mashed ripe banana (about 3 medium)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped walnuts
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons firmly packed light brown sugar
¼ cup walnut halves
Butter, to serve
1. Preheat oven to 325°. Spray bottom only of an 8x4-inch cast-iron loaf pan with baking spray with flour.
2. In a small bowl, stir together buttermilk and baking soda; let stand for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, and molasses with a mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes, stopping to scrape sides of bowl. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. With mixer at low speed, add flour mixture, buttermilk mixture, and banana to sugar mixture, beating until combined. Beat in vanilla. Stir in chopped walnuts until combined. Spread batter into prepared pan.
5. In a small bowl, whisk egg white until frothy; stir in brown sugar. Pour onto batter, and sprinkle with walnut halves.
Bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Let cool in pan for 20
