Banana-Hazelnut Bread
Buttery hazelnuts, ground in the food processor, take banana bread to a new level—adding more moisture to the crumb and playing off the bananas’ sweetness.
- Makes1 9-inch loaf
- Cook Time1½ hours
- Active time plus cooling30 minutes active, plus cooling
- 7
At the ultra-modern Black Isle Bakery in Berlin, owner Ruth Barry bakes a small array of simple but well-crafted treats—homey, inviting goodies such as loaf cakes, cookies, buns and tarts. We think her banana hazelnut loaf is especially delicious, the nut and fruit flavors in perfect balance and the crumb extremely moist and tender. It also happens to be dairy- and egg-free. Once cooled, the bread will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days; after that, it can be refrigerated for a couple days longer, but bring to room temperature before serving.
Don’t use underripe bananas. For best flavor and texture, the unpeeled bananas should be darkly speckled on the outside and very soft on the inside. Don’t over-toast the hazelnuts. Aim for lightly golden so the nuts that are chopped and sprinkled on top of the loaf don’t become too dark during baking. If you purchased already toasted/roasted hazelnuts, there’s no need to toast them—they can be used directly from the bag.
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