Banana bread is a popular and definite favorite in our house – I swear we have had some form of banana bread dessert in our freezer for the past 3 years because it’s so good! This recipe gives you a moist, sweet, and feel-good favorite dessert everyone will want to eat. And, it tastes even better the next day. Try toasting and adding yummy butter or freezing and eating a slice straight out the freezer (one of our personal favorite ways to eat banana bread).
Level: Easy
Total Time: 1 hr 30 min
Yield: 1 Loaf
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Banana bread Ingredients
To start, gather all the materials and ingredients you need.
- 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
- 2-3 ripe bananas (mashed)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup of chopped nuts or chocolate chips (optional)
- cooking spray or butter to grease the pan
how to bake banana bread Directions
1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grab a 4-by-8 inch or 9-by-5-inch loaf pan and butter all the surfaces of the inside of the pan. Sprinkle some flour into the pan, then shake the flour around until all the sides are already covered with flour (this will give you super smooth edges after baking). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nuts (or chocolate chips).
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, butter and vanilla extract. Using a fork, mash the bananas until you have a smooth mix with little chunks. Then, stir in the mashed bananas. Fold the banana mixture into the flour mixture until just combined (totally OK if you have lumps).
4. Pour the batter into the floured and greased pan. Lightly tap the pan on the counter to evenly distribute and level out the batter inside. Put the pan inside the oven, then bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden-brown. You’ll know it’s cooked properly if you insert a toothpick into the middle of the banana bread and comes out clean.
5. Let the bread cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then it out onto a cooling rack to cool completely. Then, slice up and serve.
Baker’s Note:
To make this banana bread nut-free, simply leave out the nuts from the ingredients and follow the rest of the recipe as written.
Use bananas that are overripe or past, characterized by a lot of brown spots on the peel. These are generally sweeter compared to ripe bananas. If the bread is browning quickly, but the center is still raw, you can cover the bread using aluminum foil. The bread will continue baking, although the browning process is slowed down. If you have extra bananas and want to make 2 or more loaves in a single session, freeze the extra loaves to prevent these from spoiling. Always use oven mitts when taking the banana bread out of the oven to keep your hand from getting burning.
