No ripe bananas? No worries! I have an easy shortcut method to “ripen” bananas in about 10 minutes, and all you need is a sheet pan and a hot oven. If you “bake” bananas in their peels, you’ll end up with deep brown bananas with a pudding-like texture. And if you’re looking for more ways to bake with bananas, try my banana cupcakes recipe, banana cake recipe, and banana oatmeal cookies recipe.
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Cinnamon — I love the warmth that ground cinnamon adds to this easy banana bread recipe. You could leave it out if you prefer, or use different spices (ideas below!). Sugar — granulated sugar works well in this recipe, but you could also use brown sugar for a more caramel-like flavor. Unsalted butter — if you only have salted butter on hand, reduce the amount of added salt by ½ teaspoon. Set the butter out at room temperature about 30 minutes before you start baking so that it softens. Bananas — you need mashed over-ripe bananas for the best results. If your bananas are mostly yellow, they are not ripe enough! The bananas should be very spotted or mostly brown and quite mushy — if your bananas are way past being good enough to eat fresh, they are likely perfect for baking!
How to Make Banana Bread
- Whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, and ground cinnamon (if using) in a medium bowl.
- To the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl), add the sugar and softened butter and beat together on high speed until light and fluffy. This will take about 3 minutes.
- One at a time, beat in the eggs. Be sure to stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each egg. Beat in the vanilla extract.
- Add the mashed bananas to the wet ingredients and mix.
- Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture until just combined.
- Pour the batter into a 9×5-inch greased loaf pan (use butter or cooking spray). Bake the quick bread in a 350°F heated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the bread to cool in the loaf pan for 20 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
Use brown sugar. You can swap the white sugar for light or dark brown sugar if desired for a more caramel-like flavor. It will also help keep the bread moist for longer. Measure the flour. One of the main causes of dry, crumbly bread is an overuse of flour. The best way to use the correct amount of flour is to measure it with a kitchen scale. If you don’t have one, fluff the flour before spooning it into a measuring cup, then level it off with a knife. Use different spices. A hint of cinnamon makes this recipe is so comforting, but you can amp up the flavor by adding your favorite warm spices. I often add all or a mix of the following: ½ teaspoon allspice, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom, or ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Softened butter works best. Softened butter, when creamed, yields a springy, light bread with a soft crumb. Melted butter will give you a more dense loaf. Add sour cream or Greek yogurt. A dollop of either will add a little tang to balance out the sweetness of the bread, while also adding moisture. Use room-temperature eggs. They bind everything together better if they are not straight out of the refrigerator. A note on mashing the bananas. While you can mash the bananas until they form a smooth puree, I prefer leaving a few chunks in the batter. I love biting into a fresh slice and getting a chunk of banana! Use a fork or potato masher for the best texture. Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients by hand. Overmixing the batter with an electric mixer can cause the loaf to be dense. Folding the flour mixture in by hand gives you total control so you can see exactly when the ingredients are just incorporated. Your bread will be more tender and fluffy this way. Add nuts or chocolate chips. Chopped walnuts or pecans will give you a delightful banana nut bread. You’ll need about ¾ cup. For a richer, sweeter loaf, add some chocolate chips, or just whip up my chocolate chip banana bread recipe! Add frosting. I think this moist banana bread recipe stands just fine on its own with no additions. But if you want to dress it up, try my cream cheese frosting recipe. Or, smear on a little honey butter.
If you’ve tried this banana bread recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
