Simple Table Recipes
Baking

Banana Bread

A soft, moist banana loaf made with ripe bananas and simple pantry staples.

By Simple Table Recipes · · Updated

A sliced loaf of homemade banana bread on a wooden board with ripe bananas behind it
Prep
15 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 hr 10 min
Makes
1 loaf
Difficulty
Easy
  • Measurements grams + cups
  • Cuisine American
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Why You'll Like This Recipe

  • Uses bananas that are past eating — the browner the better.
  • Melted butter and a whisk, so there is no creaming and no mixer.
  • Better on the second day, once the crumb has settled.

Recipe

Banana Bread

A soft, moist banana loaf made with ripe bananas and pantry staples.

Prep
15 min
Cook
55 min
Total
1 hr 10 min
Yield
1 loaf
Difficulty
Easy
Save on Pinterest

Ingredients

Scale

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 175 C / 350 F. Grease a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment if desired.
  2. Mash the bananas in a large bowl until mostly smooth.
  3. Whisk in the melted butter, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
  4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.
  5. Fold the dry ingredients into the banana mixture just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
  6. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared loaf pan.
  7. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  8. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer the loaf to a rack to cool before slicing.

Notes

  • Fold the flour in only until the dry streaks disappear. Overmixing is the single most common cause of a tough, rubbery banana bread.
  • A skewer should come out with a few moist crumbs, not completely clean. Fully clean usually means it has gone a few minutes too far.
  • The loaf sinks slightly in the centre as it cools. That is normal for a wet quick bread.

Banana Bread — Simple Table Recipes · https://simpletablerecipes.com/recipes/banana-bread/

Ingredient Notes

Very ripe bananas
Heavily spotted or fully black skins. The starch has converted to sugar by then, which is where the sweetness and most of the banana flavour come from. Yellow bananas make a bland, drier loaf.
Melted butter
Melted rather than softened, because there is no creaming step here. Let it cool slightly before it meets the eggs.
Baking soda
Reacts with the acidity of the bananas and brown sugar. The batter starts working the moment they are combined, so get the loaf into the oven promptly rather than letting it stand.

Equipment

  • 9 x 5-inch loaf pan
  • 2 mixing bowls
  • Whisk and rubber spatula
  • Cooling rack

Substitutions

Brown sugar
White sugar works but gives a lighter colour and less caramel depth. Half of each is a reasonable middle ground.
Unsalted butter
Neutral oil in the same weight gives a slightly moister loaf that keeps a day longer, at the cost of some flavour.
Add-ins
About 100 g of chocolate chips, chopped walnuts or pecans folded in at the end. Toss them in a spoonful of the measured flour first so they do not sink.

Storage & Freezing

Storing: Keep wrapped at room temperature for up to 4 days. It is genuinely better on day two, once the crumb has settled and the flavour has evened out.

Freezing: Freeze the whole cooled loaf or individual slices for up to 3 months. Slices thaw in about twenty minutes at room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

How ripe do bananas need to be for banana bread?

Heavily spotted at minimum, and completely black is better. Ripe bananas are sweeter, softer and far more strongly flavoured. Under-ripe bananas make a loaf that tastes of very little.

Can I use frozen bananas for banana bread?

Yes, and they work well. Thaw them fully and use the liquid that comes out — that is banana flavour. Frozen bananas are often riper than anything you would leave on the counter.

Why is my banana bread dense or gummy?

Overmixing after the flour goes in, or underbaking. Fold only until the dry streaks vanish, and test with a skewer for a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.

Why did my banana bread sink in the middle?

A small dip is normal for a moist quick bread. A significant collapse usually means it came out too early, or the oven door was opened during the first two thirds of the bake.

How do I ripen bananas quickly?

Bake unpeeled bananas at 150 C / 300 F for 15 to 20 minutes, until the skins blacken. Cool them before using. It is not quite the same as natural ripening, but it works.

Can I make banana bread into muffins?

Yes. Divide the batter between 12 lined muffin cups and bake at the same temperature for 18 to 22 minutes.

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