Gomer's Banana Bread

This banana bread goes tropical with chopped macadamia nuts folded into a batter made with a generous amount of mashed bananas. Where most recipes call for three or four bananas, this one uses six or seven, so the banana flavor is intense and the crumb stays extremely moist.

The macadamias bring a buttery richness and a satisfying crunch that regular walnuts can’t quite match. They’re a natural pairing with banana, and if you’ve ever had banana bread in Hawaii, you know exactly why.

The batter is a straightforward cream-and-fold: butter and sugar get creamed first, then eggs, then mashed bananas, and finally the sifted dry ingredients folded in gently. No complicated steps, just proper technique in the right order.

Kitchen Tips

• Use very ripe bananas with plenty of brown spots. Green or just-yellow bananas won’t mash smoothly and lack the sweetness you need.
• Fold the dry ingredients in gently. Overmixing develops gluten and makes the bread tough and dense.
• The recipe makes a big batch. If you’re not baking all of it at once, the batter can be divided into loaf pans and small pans at the same time with adjusted bake times.
• Check smaller loaves and muffins earlier. They bake faster than the full-size loaves.

Variations

• Add a cup of dark chocolate chips along with the macadamias for a chocolate-banana version.
• Swap macadamias for toasted coconut flakes for an even more tropical loaf.
• Drizzle the cooled loaves with a thin coconut glaze made from powdered sugar and coconut milk.