Classic Banana Bread recipe is full of banana flavor, is not too dense, and is moist. This is the recipe for Banana Bread that everyone asks for once they have tried it! A delicious quick bread recipe.
Classic Banana Bread
This is the Banana Bread recipe that my Nana made. If you like your banana bread moist, dense, and flavorful, then you will like this recipe.
I believe the success of this banana bread recipe is dependent on how ripe the bananas are. The riper they are, the sweeter they are. This makes the BEST tasting banana bread!
When I want to make a loaf, I wait until those black spots appear on the banana skins. Then I wait some more (right to the edge of rotten, haha!).
Those black dots are called sugar spots. This is the sign that they are nice and sweet, and softer as well.
If your bananas aren’t ripe enough, you can cheat and speed up the process. In the oven!
How To Ripen Bananas in the Oven
- Heat the oven temp to 300°F.
- Lay the unpeeled, unripe bananas on a parchment-lined baking pan.
- Bake them for 10-25 minutes (varies by how ripe they are).
- Keep a close eye on them, they can ripen up quickly and may leak (Oven temps & times can vary)!
- The bananas are ripe when the peels turn shiny and black.
Classic Banana Bread makes a lovely food gift any time of the year, and is also a nice treat to put out at gatherings.
How to Make Banana Bread
Grease your 8.5″x9.5″ loaf pan with butter and set aside. Then sift the dry ingredients into a bowl and set this aside.
Mash the bananas in a cup and set aside (you need 2 cups of mashed bananas). Add butter and sugars to another bowl and cream them together.
Add the beaten eggs and vanilla to the butter/sugar mixture and stir. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix gently JUST until moistened.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake it. Let it cool before removing from the loaf pan. It’s okay if it is a little warm.
There is nothing like a pat of butter on a warm slice of banana bread. I’m a little weird though, and like mine at room temperature so the butter doesn’t melt.
Banana Bread Mixing Tip
- One of the rules of Quick Breads has to do with mixing the ingredients in such a way that the leavening (stuff that makes it rise) is not hampered. You don’t want to have a banana brick!
- When you add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, don’t over mix the batter. Only stir until the dry ingredients are JUST moistened. There can even be a few small streaks of flour left.
- This will make sure that you have a lightly dense banana bread, and not a harder loaf that is unpleasantly tough.
You Might Also Like
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread
Hard Apple Cider Bread
Pistachio Cherry Bread
Skillet Cornbread
It is perfectly normal to have a crack in the top of your loaf. I think it add to the character!
If you make this yummy Classic Banana Bread recipe, please let me know.
Just leave a comment with a star rating below in the comments section. I’d love to know how you liked it!
Classic Banana Bread
Equipment
- 8.5"x9.5" Loaf Pan
- 2 Mixing Bowls
Ingredients
- 2 cups All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Unsalted Butter, softened (room temp.), plus a little to grease the pan.
- ¾ cup Lightly Packed Brown Sugar
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- 2 large Eggs, beaten
- 2 cups Mashed Very Ripe Bananas (about 4 bananas)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla
Instructions
- Heat oven to 325°F. Use butter to grease a loaf pan and set it aside.
- In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and brown and granulated sugars. Beat until creamed and a bit fluffy.
- Add the beaten eggs, mashed bananas, and vanilla into the butter/sugar mixture. Mix well.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Gently stir by hand to the point that the dry ingredients are incorporated, but JUST moistened. It's okay to have a few small streaks of flour showing. Don't over mix!
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Pleace in the preheated oven and bake for 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick or knife inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and set the pan on a rack to cool.
- Remove the banana bread loaf from the pan when cooled or mostly cool. You can slice it and serve warm with butter spread on the slices, or let cool completely and wrap in plastic wrap to store.
April Ibarra says
It should be called, “My Ba’Nana’ Bread!”
Yum!
Debbie says
This was amazing!! My husband ate half of the loaf by himself! I luckily have enough bananas to make another one tomorrow. Thank you for this recipe.