Better Banana Bread - cooking recipe

Ingredients

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sour cream
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
3 ripe speckled bananas
1 cup toasted and coarsely chopped pecans or 1 cup walnuts (don't leave it out) (optional)

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and adjust a rack to the center position.
Lightly butter and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan (regular or nonstick).
Whisk together the first four ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
Place the eggs, sour cream, butter and vanilla in the bowl of a food processor.
Process until the mixture is homogenous, about 30 seconds.
Break up the bananas into 1 inch pieces and add them to the food processor.
Pulse until the bananas are broken up but not quite pureed with small chunks remaining (about six 1 second pulses).
Add the banana mixture along with the optional mandatory nuts to the dry ingredients.
Using a rubber spatula, fold together until the dry ingredients are just moistened and no streaks of flour remain.
Transfer to the prepared loaf pan and bake until the top is a dark golden brown with a cracked, domed top, and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean, about 55 to 60 minutes.
(Start checking bread after 45 minutes.) Cool for 5 minutes before removing bread from pan.
Continue to cool on a wire rack for several minutes more.
Serve warm or at room temperature.