Banana Bread
The beloved American quick bread — ultra-moist, deeply banana-flavored loaf with a caramelized crust. The secret is using very ripe, almost black bananas and browning the butter first.
Ingredients
- 3 very ripe bananas
- 115 gunsalted butter
- 150 ggranulated sugar
- 50 gbrown sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsppure vanilla extract
- 190 gall-purpose flour
- 1 tspbaking soda
- 0.5 tspsalt
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- 60 mlsour cream or plain yogurt
- 100 gwalnuts
Method
- Preheat oven to 175°C (350°F). Grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper. Brown the butter: melt butter in a light-colored saucepan over medium heat, swirling constantly, until it smells nutty and the milk solids turn golden brown, about 4–5 minutes. Pour immediately into a large bowl and let cool slightly.
- Mash bananas thoroughly with a fork — you want very few lumps. For the best flavor, the bananas should be nearly black. Measure out 280ml of mashed banana.
- Whisk both sugars into the browned butter. Add eggs one at a time, whisking well after each. Add vanilla extract and sour cream. Fold in mashed bananas.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined — a few streaks of flour are fine. Do not overmix or the bread will be tough. Fold in walnuts if using.
- Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Optionally, press half a banana lengthwise into the top for a dramatic presentation.
- Bake for 60–65 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs. If the top browns too quickly, tent loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
- Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Banana bread tastes even better the next day as the flavors develop. Store wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days.
FAQ
Yes — frozen and thawed bananas are actually ideal because they become extra soft and sweet. Thaw them completely and drain any excess liquid before using.
Chocolate chips, walnuts, pecans, blueberries, or a teaspoon of cinnamon are all popular additions. Swirl in some peanut butter or Nutella for an indulgent twist.
Wrap it tightly in cling film or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. It also freezes well for up to 3 months — slice before freezing for easy portions.
Yes, substitute the plain flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend. Almond flour also works but produces a denser, moister loaf.
The most common causes are too much liquid, underbaking, or over-mixing the batter. Test with a skewer — it should come out clean. If the top browns too fast, tent loosely with foil.
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Comments (3)
Made this yesterday and it was gone in a day lol. Pro tip from me: if your bananas arent quite ripe enough, put them in a 150C oven for 15 mins with skins on, they'll go black and super sweet. Total game changer.
Просто и вкусно❤️
I whip the cream to soft peaks for banana bread, not stiff. Over-whipped cream is on the edge of becoming butter and has a grainy mouthfeel. Stop when it just holds a gentle curl on the whisk — it'll firm up as you fold it.