Description
Creamy swirls of Nutella and crunchy chopped hazelnuts transform basic banana bread into a delectable treat perfect for any time of day.
Ingredients
Units
- all purpose flour - 4 cups
- baking soda - 1 1/2 teaspoons
- baking powder - 1 teaspoon
- salt - 1 teaspoon
- ground cinnamon - 1 tablespoon
- granulated sugar - 1 1/4 cups
- light brown sugar (lightly packed - 1/2 cup)
- canola or vegetable oil - 2/3 cup
- bananas - about 4 medium sized
- eggs - 4
- pure vanilla extract - 2 teaspoons
- buttermilk - 1 cup
- hazelnuts - 1 1/2 cups
- Nutella - 1 1/2 cups
- raw sugar for sprinkling - 2 tablespoons
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°
- Bake the hazelnuts for 8-10 minutes until they begin to darken and give off a nutty aroma.
- Once the hazelnuts have cooled you can remove the skins by rolling handfuls of the nuts around in your bare hands or in a clean kitchen towel. Don't worry if the skins don't come off completely. Roughly chop the hazelnuts and set aside.
- Lightly grease and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans and set aside.
- Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk together.
- Peel the bananas into a medium bowl and mush them with the back of a wooden spoon until they resemble a puree.
- Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the sugar, brown sugar, oil and banana puree on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes, until fully blended. *Alternatively, you can whisk everything together by hand in a large bowl.
- Crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and whisk in the vanilla. With the mixer on a low speed, slowly add the eggs to the banana mixture. Continue to mix until the eggs are fully incorporated. *Alternatively, whisk the eggs in by hand.
- Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed just until the the dry ingredients are absorbed. Then add half of the buttermilk. Mix together and repeat with half of the remaining dry ingredients and the remainder of the buttermilk. Finally add the rest of the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add 1 cup of the chopped hazelnuts and mix in by hand.
- Fill one prepared pan halfway with the batter. Dollop in about 1/2 cup of Nutella and gently swirl into the batter mixture using a butter knife or a small spatula. Be careful not to over-mix the two, you want a nice line of Nutella swirling through the bread. (If the Nutella is too thick to work with, transfer to a microwave safe bowl and zap it for 15-20 seconds to soften it up a bit).
- Cover the Nutella swirled batter with a second layer of batter, fill until the loaf pan is about almost full. Swirl another 1/4 cup of Nutella over the top layer.
- Repeat with second loaf pan.
- Top both loaves with remaining chopped hazelnuts and sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon of raw sugar.
- Bake on 350° for 30 minutes, rotate the pans and bake for another 30 minutes. Lower the temperature to 325°, rotate the pans again and bake for 20-30 additional minutes. The loaves should turn a deep golden brown and begin to crack at the top. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean.
- Cool on a rack for 15 minutes. Remove the bread loaves from pans and invert onto the rack to cool completely before slicing.
Notes
*This recipe makes two 9 x 5 inch loaves.
*Inspired by and adapted from Grand Central Bakery's Banana Nut Bread, original recipe can be found in (my most treasured cookbook of all time) The Grand Central Bakery Baking Book.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes