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High-Altitude Banana Bread With Crumb Topping

3.7

(3)

High Altitude Banana Crumb Bread by Nicole Hampton on white plate
Nicole Hampton

This banana bread is a twist on my grandma’s traditional recipe. My mom has been using this recipe for years as well, and it’s great with or without the crumb topping. I like to bake it in a cake pan instead of a loaf pan so it seems extra fancy.  

  

This high-altitude recipe was developed and tested at 5,000 feet but should work successfully up to 7,000 feet. Higher altitude bakers may need to adjust cooking time down by about 10 minutes, and reduce the leavening by another 1/8 tsp.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    Makes 8-10 servings

Ingredients

For the bread:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3⁄4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 cup mashed ripe banana
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
3⁄4 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ cup chopped walnuts

For the crumb topping:

3⁄4 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup firmly packed brown sugar
½ cup old-fashioned oats
¼ cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Preparation

  1. For the bread:

    Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°F, and grease and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and granulated sugar until smooth. Add the eggs, mashed banana, water, and vanilla and mix to combine. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat until combined. Fold in the chopped walnuts, and pour the batter into your prepared pan, spreading it evenly

  2. For the crumb topping:

    Step 2

    In a bowl, mix the flour, brown sugar, oats, walnuts, melted butter, cinnamon, and salt together with a fork until medium crumbs form. If yours comes out too dry, add a teaspoon of water. If it’s too wet, add a teaspoon of flour. Evenly sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top of the batter.

    Step 3

    Bake for 40 minutes. Then place a piece of foil over the top to prevent overbrowning, and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Cool in the pan completely before removing. Cut into wedges and serve.

Sugar High Cookbook Cover with pink cake
From Sugar High: Sweet & Savory Baking in Your High-Altitude Kitchen © 2018 by Nicole Hampton. Reprinted with permission by West Margin Press. Buy the full book from West Margin Press, Amazon, or Bookshop.

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