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Over the last month, hundreds of thousands of people have searched for "banana bread recipe" online. Maybe it's because banana bread is familiar and comforting, or because it's a bread that doesn't require any yeast, which can be tough to find in stores these days. Whatever the reason, its surge in popularity got us thinking about the number of banana bread recipes we've developed in the Test Kitchen over the years. Out of all of them, the most popular is our Ultimate Banana Bread.

Tired of loaves that were cottony or dense, unevenly baked or lacking in ripe banana flavor, we developed a recipe that righted those wrongs. This isn't your typical dump and stir recipe -- it takes a bit more work, but the payoff is a moist, tender loaf with intense banana flavor and an attractive presentation. It turns the humble banana bread into a true showpiece.

One of the keys to our perfect loaf was using six bananas, which is double the number called for in most recipes. To get this true fruit flavor without sinking the bread's cakelike structure, we "juiced" five bananas in the microwave, then reduced the banana liquid we collected and used it in the batter. Not only did this step infuse the bread with ripe, intensely fruity banana flavor, it helped to create a crumb that was tender through and through, without being framed by overly crusty sides.

For a final flourish (and even more fruity flavor), we shingled a sixth banana over the top of the loaf, placing the slices along the sides of the pan for an even rise. We then sprinkled the top of the loaf with granulated sugar so the top baked into a caramelized crown -- the perfect accessory for a showstopping loaf.

Ultimate Banana Bread

Makes one 9-inch loaf

1 3/4 cups (8 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon table salt

6 large very ripe bananas (about 2 1/4 pounds), peeled (see note)

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

2 large eggs

3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) packed light brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (optional)

2 teaspoons granulated sugar

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F. Spray an 8.5-by-4.5-inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.

2. Place 5 bananas in microwave-safe bowl; cover with plastic wrap and cut several steam vents in plastic with paring knife. Microwave on high power until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 minutes. Transfer bananas to fine-mesh strainer placed over medium bowl and allow to drain, stirring occasionally, 15 minutes (you should have 1/2 to 3/4 cup liquid).

3. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, brown sugar and vanilla.

4. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Gently fold in walnuts, if using. Scrape batter into prepared pan. Slice remaining banana diagonally into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving a 1.5-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise. Sprinkle granulated sugar evenly over loaf.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to three days.)

Recipe notes

--Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe.

--This recipe can be made using 5 thawed frozen bananas; since they release a lot of liquid naturally, they can bypass the microwaving in Step 2 and go directly into the fine-mesh strainer.

--Do not use a thawed frozen banana in Step 4; it will be too soft to slice. Instead, simply sprinkle the top of the loaf with sugar.

--The test kitchen's preferred loaf pan measures 8 1/2 by 4 1/2 inches; if you use a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, start checking for doneness 5 minutes earlier than advised in the recipe.

(For 25 years, confident cooks in the know have relied on America's Test Kitchen for rigorously tested recipes developed by professional test cooks and vetted by 60,000 at-home recipe testers. See more online at www.americastestkitchen.com/TCA.)