Baking bread is one of my favorite ways to carry carry over the work of growing my own food into the kitchen. Banana bread is a staple in our house – mostly because we always seem to have a stash of over-ripe bananas ready to go in our kitchen. This simple and easy banana bread is the perfect starting point for creating your own bread. There are many ways to adjust the basic banana bread recipe like adding nuts, chocolate or switching up the flour, but I’ve found this is the perfect basic homemade banana bread recipe!
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Contents
A Quick Look at Making Quick Breads
Quick breads are breads that use baking powder, baking soda, or yeast for leavening instead of relying on kneading or rising. They are easy to make and require minimal preparation time. Common examples include muffins, banana bread, and pancakes.
Quick breads, like banana bread, are made by combining wet and dry ingredients and baking them without the need for rising or kneading. In banana bread, ripe mashed bananas provide moisture and flavor, while baking soda helps it rise. The batter is mixed until just combined, then poured into a loaf pan and baked to create a moist, flavorful loaf with a tender crumb.
Ingredients for Banana Bread
Bananas: this is the foundation of banana bread. You will need 2 cups (about 4 ripe bananas). Ripe bananas are good and overripe bananas are great. You will need to mash your bananas up either by hand or using a mixer.
Butter: Use softened butter to achieve a soft texture and rich butter flavor. Let your butter soften at least 1 hour.
Sugar: I usually use brown sugar for this recipe. It helps create a soft, moist loaf and adds a deep, delicious flavor to the banana bread. If you don’t have brown sugar you can use white sugar but it loses a little flavor.
Eggs: Eggs are what provide provide structure, stability, and a tender texture to baked goods like cakes and breads. For this recipe, you’ll need 2 large eggs.
Sour Cream or Yogurt: Both sour cream and yogurt contribute extra moisture to banana bread, ensuring a tender crumb. You can use either in most baking recipes interchangeably. I will sometimes mix the two.
Other ingredients you will need:
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Ground cinnamon
- Vanilla Extract
- Walnuts (optional)
How to Make Banana Bread
Since this is a quick bread you don’t need to let it rise so you should start by pre-heating your oven to 350°F (177°C) and adjust the rack to the lower third position. Grease a 9×5-inch metal loaf pan with nonstick spray or butter and set aside.
Mix your dry ingredients together in a medium bowl: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
Use a stand mixer with a paddle or whisk and beat the softened butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes. If your butter isn’t soft enough you may want to give it some more time to soften at this step. You want your butter and sugar to be smooth and creamy. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Then, beat in the yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla extract until fully combined.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients, mixing until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix. If desired, fold in nuts. I sometimes use a wooden spoon to mix at this stage.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake for 60–65 minutes, covering the top loosely with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean with only a few small moist crumbs. Begin checking for doneness after 60 minutes. After 1 hour, remove the bread from the pan.
If you aren’t going to eat right away, you can freeze your bread for a few months.
Banana Bread Recipe
Banana Bread
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Loaf Pan
Ingredients
- 2 cups 250g all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 cup 8 Tbsp; 113g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup 150g packed light or dark brown sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1/3 cup 80g plain yogurt or sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 cups mashed bananas about 4 large ripe bananas
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (177°C) and adjust the rack to the lower third position. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray or butter and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Set aside.
- Using a stand mixer with a paddle or whisk, beat softened butter and sugar together for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Then mix in yogurt, mashed bananas, and vanilla until fully combined.
- With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Be careful not to over-mix. If desired, fold in nuts.
- Pour the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake for 60–65 minutes, loosely covering with aluminum foil halfway to prevent over-browning. The bread is done when a toothpick comes out clean with a few moist crumbs. Start checking at 60 minutes.
- Remove the bread from the pan and let it cool. If not eating right away, freeze for later.
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