Ultimate Banana Bread

• 8 3/4 ounces all-purpose flour (1 3/4 cup)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 6 large very ripe bananas, about 2 1/4 lb
• 8 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 5 1/4 ounces light brown sugar (3/4 cup packed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup walnuts or 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350u0b0F Spray an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pan with non-stick spray.
2. Whisk together flour, soda and salt in a large bowl.
3. Peel 5 bananas and place in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, poke several holes, and microwave 5 minutes until bananas are soft and release water. Dump into a strainer set over a sauce pot and let stand about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You should have 1/2 to 3/4 c liquid.
4. Transfer bananas to a bowl. Boil collected liquid over medium-high heat, until reduced down to 1/4 cup. Add syrup back to bananas and mash with a potato masher. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.
5. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients. Stir until just barely combined, with a few streaks of flour showing. Add nuts and fold gently.
6. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Slice remaining banana into 1/4" slices on the bias. Arrange banana slices, overlapping, down the two long edges of the pan. Sprinkle top of banana slices and batter with sugar.
7. Bake in preheated oven, 55-75 minutes, until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan 15 minutes, then remove from pan and let rest on a rack until completely cool. Tastes best the day its made, but will last up to 3 days if tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

flour, baking soda, salt, very ripe bananas, butter, eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, walnuts, sugar

Taken from www.food.com/recipe/ultimate-banana-bread-453178 (may not work)