Miso banana bread

I’ve had this recipe saved from Food and Wine magazine, and I finally tested it out because I had leftover buttermilk to use up. 

https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/miso-banana-bread

Ingredients

• 5 medium overripe bananas 
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened 
• 1 cup sugar 
• 1/4 cup white miso 
• 1/2 cup buttermilk 
• 2 large eggs
  
  

  Directions

  • Step 1

    Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 10-by-5-inch metal loaf pan. In a bowl, using a fork, mash 4 of the bananas until chunky. In another bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

  • Step 2

    Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream the butter, sugar and miso at medium speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. At low speed, slowly add the buttermilk, then beat in the eggs 1 at a time until incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas; the batter will look curdled. Add the dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Scrape into the prepared pan.

  • Step 3

    Slice the remaining banana lengthwise and arrange the halves on top of the batter side by side, cut side up. Bake for 90 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the bread cool on a rack for 30 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

  Make Ahead

  The banana bread can be wrapped in plastic and kept at room temperature for up to 3 days.

My notes:

1. Made this recipe with 4.5 small bananas, and used the final half to slice and top the bread. I pretty much followed the recipe exactly, except of course I subbed about 1/2 cup of the APP for WWPF. I mashed, didn’t blend the bananas. I sifted the dry ingredients into the wet, and used parchment paper for my 9 x5 loaf pan (which worked fine, no overflow). The only major change was, as mentioned, I didn’t slice the last banana lengthwise, I sliced it into rounds and arranged it on top, and then sprinkled turbinado sugar over the top. 

2. This baked in about an hour, and already had super dark edges at the hour mark. When it cooled, it was just the teensiest bit sunk in the center, but cooked. 

3. Yummy. I was intrigued by the recipe because the usual suspects in banana bread (vanilla, cinnamon, nuts, chocolate chips) were missing, and it really felt like the banana shone through. It also isn’t super sweet, which is great. Overall, I’m a fan!