The Best Banana Bread

This is from Cook's Illustated, and it is indeed, the *best* banana bread. The ingredients keep it lighter tasting. I generally need to cook the bread longer than the recipe states. The trick is to mix only until blended so that the bread rises nicely. The recipe doubles easily.

Makes one 9-inch loaf. Published March 1, 1998.

Greasing and flouring only the bottom of a regular loaf pan causes the bread to cling to the sides and rise higher. If using a nonstick loaf pan, on which the sides are very slick, grease and flour sides as well as the bottom.

Ingredients
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 1/4 cups toasted pecans, chopped coarse (about 1 cup)
3 very ripe bananas, soft, darkly speckled, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain yogurt
2 large eggs , beaten lightly
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions
1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease bottom only of regular loaf pan, or grease and flour bottom and sides of nonstick 9-by-5-by-3-inch loaf pan; set aside. Combine first five ingredients together in large bowl; set aside.

2. Mix mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter, and vanilla with wooden spoon in medium bowl. Lightly fold banana mixture into dry ingredients with rubber spatula until just combined and batter looks thick and chunky. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan; bake until loaf is golden brown and toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Pie Crust

This is a simple, but flaky pie crust. To make a two crust pie, simply double the recipe.

9" Pie Crust

1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 vegetable oil + 1Tbls.
2 Tbls. cold water

Stir the first two ingredients together. Stir in the oil with a fork. Add cold water. If the dough seems a bit dry, add a Tbl. more oil.
Mix with a fork until blended.
Roll out on a damp surface between two pieces of wax paper. (Saran wrap will work, also.)

To place the crust into the 9" pan (I recommend a glass pie plate), carefully peel the top wax paper off the dough. Holding the bottom wax paper, flip the dough onto the pie pan, and peel off the wax paper. Place the dough so that fills the pie pan by lifting, NOT stretching the dough. Stretching will cause the crust to shrink as it bakes. Prick the dough several times with a fork. If the crust balloons up while baking, prick and flatten it with a fork.

Bake at 425 for 12 minutes or until lightly golden in the center.