Best Banana Bread

Best Banana Bread

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This banana bread is phenomenal right out of the oven and even better toasted the next day.

If you’re anything like me, you need a few good banana bread recipes. I’ve never been able to accurately predict my family’s banana consumption: one week we go through ‘em all, and the next, they sit untouched, browning in the bowl. This tender banana bread with a crisp crust is my go-to basic banana bread recipe (if you’re looking for marbled, chocolate, chai-spiced, whole wheat, or coconut-flavored versions, click here). The bread is phenomenal right out of the oven and delicious all over again toasted for breakfast the next day. My family prefers it plain, but feel free to add nuts or chocolate chips, if you like.

What You’ll Need To Make Banana Bread

For a really moist, banana-y banana bread, use very ripe bananas. The bananas should at least be dark yellow with plenty of brown spots, and it’s okay if the skin has turned completely brown.

If you’d like to make banana bread and your bananas are not quite ripe enough, you have a few options:

• 24-Hour Method: Put the bananas (still attached at the stem) in a loosely sealed brown paper bag and let sit on the counter. The bananas give off ethylene gas which causes ripening, and trapping the gas in a bag speeds up this process.
• Quick Oven Ripening: Place the bananas in their peels on a parchment or foil-lined baking sheet (for easy clean-up in case they leak) and bake at 250˚F for 15 to 20 minutes or as long as it takes them to reach a deep brown color.

If you have overripe bananas and you’re not ready to bake, don’t let them go to waste – freeze them! I typically freeze them in bags of 2 or 3, as when mashed, they usually come out to about 1 cup (which is what most banana bread recipes call for). Simply peel the bananas and put them in an airtight container or freezer bag; when ready to use, thaw them in the bag and then mash.

Lemon juice may seem like an unusual ingredient in a banana bread recipe, but it works nicely without adding a lemony flavor to the bread. Similar to sour cream or buttermilk, it adds acidity to the batter that reacts with the baking soda to help the bread rise and give it a beautiful golden color, toasty flavor, and light, fluffy texture.

STEP-BY-STEP Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.

Whisk to combine.

In the bowl of an electric hand mixer (or a stand mixer), beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time.

Beat well after each addition.

Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay.

Add the dry ingredients.

Beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes.

Then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

HOW TO STORE BANANA BREAD

Banana bread is best served fresh out of the oven, but it will keep for a few days, wrapped in foil and stored at room temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil or freezer wrap, or place it in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

You may also Like

• Chocolate Banana Bread
• Marbled Banana Bread
• Banana Nut Muffins
• Sticky Toffee Banana Cake
• Ovenly’s Whole Wheat Banana Bread

Best Banana Bread

This banana bread is phenomenal right out of the oven and even better toasted the next day.

Ingredients

• 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter, softened

• ¾ cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup mashed very ripe bananas, from 2-3 large bananas
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, from 1 lemon
• 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour 9×5-inch metal loaf pan.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice and vanilla extract and mix well. It will look a little curdled at this point; that’s okay.
4. Add the flour mixture and beat on low speed until just incorporated. Do not over mix. Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5. Freezer-Friendly Instructions: The bread can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.

Nutrition Information

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• Per serving (12 servings)
• Serving size: 1 slice
• Calories: 208
• Fat: 9 g
• Saturated fat: 5 g
• Carbohydrates: 30 g
• Sugar: 14 g
• Fiber: 1 g
• Protein: 3 g
• Sodium: 394 mg
• Cholesterol: 51 mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

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Comments

• My loaf pan is 8×4. Would you suggest adjusting both the time and temperature? If yes, by how much? Thank you!

• This was an excellent banana bread. Having made a few that were less than good, I was quite happy with it! But I did have to cook it longer than 45 minutes – it sunk in the middle my first try. I did use 3 bananas. Also, I used every Pumpkin pie like spice in my drawer with abandon – nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, allspice – the lot. I liked it, I’m sure everyone has their own opinion on such things. My sons finished it off in one hour.

• First time ive made a Banana Bread…..whole loaf was consumed within the same day by the family….now I have to bake another 😋

• The recipe has become a staple in our house for using up old bananas. I actually make these as cupcakes and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. I few substitutions I’ve done to make these vegan and use unprocessed sugar: sub flax meal for eggs (1 Tbsp meal + 3 Tbsp water per egg) and vegan butter (1:1 sub with regular butter), and sub 1/2 cup of agave nectar for the sugar. Yum!

• Hi Jenn, getting ready to make the banana bread and wanted to add pecan, how much can I add to the batter without messing up the recipe. Thanks in advance.

  • • Thanks for the reply Jenn. The banana bread was awesome as all your recipes.