makes one large loaf
1/2 cup unsalted organic butter
1/2 cup raw sugar
2 farm eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup chopped pecans
4 uber-ripe bananas, mashed
For the streusel topping:
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease (use cooking spray or rub with butter) one large or one medium and one small loaf pan.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. Sift together the dry ingredients (I just put them all in a bowl together and mix with a fork; sifting is overrated!)
5. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and mashed banana to the butter-sugar-egg-vanilla mixture.
6. Stir in the chopped pecans by hand.
7. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan.
8. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes. After ten minutes, remove from the oven and spoon the streusel topping evenly over the top of the bread.
9. Return the pan to the oven and bake for another 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the bread center comes out clean.
10. Remove the bread from the oven and place pan on wire rack. Allow bread to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
11. After 10 minutes, remove the bread from the pan and allow to cool completely on the wire rack.