Blueberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crunch Topping
Weather: 50 degrees, bright sunshine breaking through gray and white clouds
What I’m listening to: Many the Miles, Sara Bareilles
I’m often asked about the evolution of a recipe – how recipes begin, how they develop and grow, how they end up on the blog to be shared. This is a hard question to answer because there really is no rhyme or reason to it. Sometimes a recipe begins as a gust of wind blows outside and a yellow leaf flitters down and suddenly I have an urgency to make a pot of soul-warming soup. Sometimes I miss a person who lives far, far away and it makes me crave a dish that we enjoyed together, a food that brings fond memories back to life. Still other times, like today, it’s as simple as a bowl of fragrant bananas, distracting me from my other projects, summoning me to make something with them. Often I just inexplicably need to cook something, anything, and all will feel right in the world again.
So, there was this one day that I made a loaf of bread and she was a beauty. She is a variation of my beloved Chocolate Chip Banana Bread, but instead of chocolate chips, I used blueberries because they are wild and in season here in Alaska. Then I opted to top her with a buttery golden cinnamon layer, because cinnamon and blueberries are a delightful pairing. Where sometimes I conceptualize an entire recipe in a moment, this one developed gradually, steadily, step by step. A little here, a little there, until she was just right.
Blueberry Banana Bread with Cinnamon Crunch Topping
Ingredients
- 3 large ripe bananas
- ⅓ cup butter melted
- ¾ cup sugar
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup blueberries fresh or frozen
For the Topping:
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 tablespoons cold butter diced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Grease a standard loaf pan. Set aside
- Peel bananas, break them up and toss them into a bowl. Mash with a potato masher (I leave some banana pieces so you get occasional nice bites of banana in the bread; don't mash until the bananas are completely liquefied).
- To the bananas, add the butter, sugar, egg, and vanilla and stir. In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Fold the blueberries into the dry ingredients. Add the flour/blueberry mixture to the liquids and stir until combined. Do not over mix.
- Make the topping: In a small bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in the cold butter until the mixture resembles crumbs.
- Spread batter evenly into prepared loaf pan, sprinkle the top of the loaf with the cinnamon mixture, and stud the top of the loaf with a handful of blueberries. Bake for 60-70 minutes or cooked through in the center.
My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe here, Thanks for sharing it.
My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe here, Thanks for sharing it.
There is a big red floating bar that comes across the screen when I try to look at your page, It appears to have some of your links, but it also has an add for Home Depot. It makes it very difficult to navigate. I don’t mind ads so much but perhaps you could use some that are a little less obtrusive.
@Alicia Agreed.
Please do something about it…?
Made this today and it was really really good. Had to keep it in the oven longer to get the center cooked.
OMG!!! Quite possibly the best recipe I’ve made in a long time.
LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yes this bread was the most moist amazing super good bread!❤️?????
Mmm this recipe looks delicious!
Big hit everyone loved it
Can I use coconut oil instead of butter
This is, by far, the best banana bread recipe I have come across! I had more ripe bananas on hand and added them to the recipe-talk about a moist delectable bread! It was such a hit, I am making it again tomorrow!
Love this recipe, I only had whole wheat flour so subbed in some rice flour with it. Gave it a really nice chewiness. My kids say that the crunch makes all the difference. Love this bread looking forward to new baking adventures. 🙂