I don’t know about y’all, but the 2020 lockdowns had us streaming endless episodes of Great British Baking show. It seemed like everyone we knew had the itch to bake something….anything! Banana bread is something that I cook almost weekly nowadays. It’s a great way to utilize bananas after they’ve passed their prime and lasts for days. This is the best banana bread recipe ever! We enjoy ours in the morning with our Nespresso and a generous smear of butter.
Tips & Tricks
Banana Selection
This recipe works best with brown bananas. We mean really brown bananas. As long as they aren’t moldy, the darker the banana the sweeter the bread. But don’t worry! I have used just barely overripe bananas too and they still make a great bread.
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Use Cooking Spray
I use Pam baking spray for 99% of my baked goods. It’s so easy and convenient, it has literally never let me down.
Pan Selection / Making Muffins
If you don’t have a 9″ x 5″ Bread Pan, you can use an 8″ Square Pan or use a muffin pan to make muffins. If you choose to go the muffin route, you’ll need to double the cinnamon sugar topping because there’s more surface area to cover. Fill the muffin tins 3/4 of the way full and bake a 375F for 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Making Ahead of Time
This bread will stay good at room temperature loosely covered for 3-4 days. I like to slice half of the loaf and wrap the other half in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge or freezer. The bread will stay good in the fridge for up to a week and in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Shout out to Gwen Stefani
A special thanks to my friend, Gwen Stefani, for never letting me forget how to spell B-A-N-A-N-A-S! We’re not really friends, but I think we should be.
Recipe
The Best Banana Bread
This is the best banana bread recipe ever. It's super simple to make and utilizes common household staples you're likely to have lying around your kitchen.
Ingredients
- 1 Stick of Butter (1/2 Cup), Room Temp
- 3/4 Cup Light Brown Sugar
- 2 Eggs, Room Temperature
- 5 Very Ripe, Medium-sized Bananas
- 2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Kosher Salt
- 2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 4 Tbsp Pecans, Rough Chopped (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Preheat oven to 350F
- Step 2 Spray a 9×5 baking pan with Pam baking spray or rub with butter.
- Step 3 In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Whisk until well combined.
- Step 4 In a stand mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter for 2 minutes. Add sugar and cream for another 2 minutes. Add one egg at a time, mixing until combined. Pause the mixer occasionally and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula to ensure everything is well combined.
- Step 5 Add bananas to mixer and mix until only small banana pieces remain, about 3 minutes.
- Step 6 Mix in dry ingredients, until just combined. Do not over mix.
- Step 7 Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Step 8 Combine sugar, cinnamon and optional pecans. Sprinkle evenly over the batter. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.
- Step 9 Let the bread cool for about 20 minutes before removing it from the pan and set it on a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
- Step 10 To really jazz it up, fold a 1/2 Cup of Chocolate Chips into the batter before pouring into the pan.
- Step 11 Enjoy!
About the Author
Lauren is a classically trained, professional chef. A culinary school graduate, she has spent time working organic farms in the Italian countryside and was the pastry/sous chef at a high profile restaurant in Dallas prior to becoming a full-time personal chef. Her cooking style is often referred to as “rustic.” Being a personal chef, she is not bound by a single type of cuisine and has had the opportunity to experiment with hundreds of regional recipes from all over the world.
