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My Favorite Banana Bread Recipe

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4.3 from 3 reviews

This classic Banana Bread recipe is moist, flavorful, and easy to make. Perfectly sweetened with brown sugar and enhanced with ripe bananas, it delivers a tender crumb with optional add-ins like nuts or chocolate chips for extra indulgence. Ideal for breakfast, snacks, or dessert, it’s simple to prepare using basic ingredients and baking techniques.

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

  • 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

  • 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 Greek yogurt or full-fat sour cream, at room temperature
  • 1 and 1/2 cups (345g) mashed bananas (about 3–4 ripe bananas)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Optional Add-ins

  • 3/4 cup (90g) chopped pecans or walnuts
  • or 1 cup (180g) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Prepare Oven and Pan: Adjust the oven rack to the lower third position and preheat to 350°F (177°C) to avoid excessive top browning. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray and set aside.
  2. Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until well combined. Set aside.
  3. Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, use a handheld or stand mixer with a paddle attachment to beat the softened butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 3 minutes.
  4. Add Eggs, Yogurt, Vanilla, and Bananas: With the mixer running on medium speed, add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape down the bowl sides as needed. Beat in the Greek yogurt (or sour cream), vanilla extract, and mashed bananas until fully combined.
  5. Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture and beat on low speed just until combined. Avoid over-mixing to maintain a tender crumb.
  6. Add Optional Nuts or Chocolate Chips: Fold in chopped pecans, walnuts, or chocolate chips if using, ensuring an even distribution without overworking the batter.
  7. Transfer Batter and Bake: Pour and spread the thick batter evenly into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 60–65 minutes, loosely covering the pan with aluminum foil halfway through baking to prevent over-browning on top.
  8. Check Doneness: Insert a toothpick into the center of the bread; it should come out clean with a few moist crumbs when the bread is done.
  9. Cool Bread: Let the bread cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 1 hour. Then remove it from the pan and cool directly on the rack until ready to slice and serve.
  10. Storage: Store the wrapped banana bread tightly at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Notes

  • Special Tools: 9×5-inch loaf pan, handheld or stand mixer, glass mixing bowls, whisk, silicone spatula, cooling rack.
  • Use salted butter if unsalted is unavailable; you can reduce butter down to 6 tablespoons (85g) without affecting taste.
  • For sweeter banana bread, increase brown sugar to 1 cup (200g) or substitute part/all with white granulated sugar.
  • Cream cheese frosting complements this bread beautifully: beat 4 oz softened cream cheese with 1/4 cup softened butter, add 1 cup confectioners sugar, 1/2 tsp vanilla, and a pinch of salt, then spread on cooled loaf.
  • To make muffins: bake at 425°F (218°C) for 5 minutes, then reduce to 350°F (177°C) and bake for 16–17 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean, yielding about 15 muffins.
  • Alternative ingredients: substitute yogurt or sour cream with additional mashed banana, unsweetened applesauce, or pumpkin puree.
  • You can use frozen bananas after thawing and draining excess liquid for this recipe.
  • Both nuts and chocolate chips are optional and can be combined for extra texture and flavor.
  • This recipe is not recommended for making Bundt cake due to insufficient batter volume; use a specific banana Bundt cake recipe instead.

Find it online: https://marthatasty.com/my-favorite-banana-bread-recipe/