Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or grease with butter and set aside.
Melt a stick of butter (8 Tbsp) in a separate pan until soft. Allow to cool.
Into a mixing bowl, add 3 ripe bananas and mash with a fork.
Add vanilla extract and egg to the bananas and quickly blend with a hand mixer or fork. Add butter once cooled.
In a second mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda (dissolved in water), nutmeg and cinnamon.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and blend together with a spatula until just combined. Add the chopped walnuts at this time and gently blend in with spatula. (This would also be the time to add in your blueberries or chocolate chips if desired)Pour the batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes until a toothpick or sharp knife inserted comes out clean. See notes about top browning and getting the dough to set below. Note: You might need to cover the top of the bread with foil after 20 minutes of baking if the bread is browning on top quickly. Check the bread by inserting a sharp knife after 30 minutes and continue checking every 5-10 minutes until the knife comes out clean. Creating a loose foil tent on top will also help the dough to set and the bread to bake on the inside.
