Banana Bread
Make the best banana bread recipe ever with those ripe bananas. It can be made quickly in one bowl without a mixer and is delicious and moist.
Banana Bread
For more than ten years, the most popular recipe on Simply Recipes has been this banana bread. Every day, thousands of people succeed. Why? Because this recipe makes the absolute best banana bread ever. You can combine everything in a single bowl and change the sugar or banana content as desired. And what’s the key to its delicious flavor? molten butter.
The best thing about this banana bread recipe is that a fancy mixer is not required! You only need a mixing bowl, a fork to whisk the eggs, and a sturdy spoon to stir the batter. The amount of sugar is negotiable. White sugar was called for in the original recipe in the amount of one cup, but most people—including myself—do just fine with 3/4 cup, and many are content with 1/2 cup.
If desired, you can add a cup of chopped nuts, raisins, or chocolate chips; alternatively, you can bake banana-nut muffins with the batter in muffin tins. Even further, you could make chocolate banana bread.
Banana Bread
For this recipe, a mixer is not necessary. Cleanup is simple as well. You can combine everything in one bowl if you’d like. For this recipe, an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan is required. Bake for 47 to 57 minutes if using an 8 1/2 x 4 1/2-inch pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes if using a 9 x 5 pan. Keep in mind that a flatter loaf will result from using a larger pan. Overripe bananas are the ones that make the best banana bread. The bananas inside should be squishy and browning, and the yellow peels should be at least partially browned.
Ingredients
2 to 3 medium (7″ to 7-7/8″ long) very ripe bananas, peeled (about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups mashed)
1/3 cup (76g) butter, unsalted or salted, melted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda (not baking powder)
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup (150g) sugar (1/2 cup if you would like it less sweet, 1 cup if more sweet)
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups (205g) all-purpose flour
Method
Method Prepare the pan and preheat the oven: Baste an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with butter and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Use a fork to thoroughly mash the ripe bananas in a mixing bowl. The mashed bananas are combined with the melted butter.
Mix in the baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar, beaten egg, and vanilla extract. Mix in the flour.
Bake the bread:
Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan.Bake for 55 to 65 minutes at 350°F (175°C), or until a toothpick or wooden skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. A few dry crumbs are okay; streaks of wet batter are not. If the outside of the loaf is browned but the center is still wet, loosely tent the loaf with foil and continue baking until the loaf is fully baked.
Cool and serve:
Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for a few minutes. Then remove the banana bread from the pan and let cool completely before serving. Slice and serve. (A bread knife helps to make slices that aren’t crumbly.)
Wrapped well, the banana bread will keep at room temperature for 4 days. For longer storage, refrigerate the loaf up to 5 days, or freeze it.