About This Recipe
I love banana bread. I love the texture, I love the taste, and I love the way it makes me feel secure to have quick bread in the house. And most of all I love this recipe for the Best Banana Bread.
What’s weird is that I actually hate eating bananas themselves. I just don’t like the texture. Which is solved by using bananas in baked goods.
I searched for the perfect banana bread recipe for years, and I finally came across one in the book Cook My Darling Daughter by Mildred Knopf. This recipe is made like a cake, not a quick bread. You cream the butter and sugar together, add the eggs, then add the flour alternately with the banana mixture.
The result is a fine-textured Best Banana Bread that simply melts in your mouth. Just be warned: this Banana Bread is not moist. It is velvety with a fine crumb and fabulous flavor, like the best cake you have ever had. I cannot stand moist banana bread because it’s too much like banana texture! But I adore this recipe.
I updated the recipe to include roasting the bananas. That simple step adds such fabulous flavor to this easy recipe. And it means you don’t need super ripe bananas to make banana bread! This is a boon for me since I tend to let bananas get too ripe (I don’t like eating them, remember). Roasting makes the bananas so sweet and soft.
Make this recipe a lot! It’s perfect for a quick snack with coffee, or for breakfast on the run.
Tips for the Best Banana Bread:
- Measure the flour accurately. Never ever scoop the measuring cup into the bag of flour; that will give you about 30% too much and the result will be dry quick bread. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off.
- The bananas must be ripe. The skin should be very yellow with some black spots.
- Follow the recipe carefully. Adding the flour and liquid “alternately” means that you add the flour and stir it in, then add the liquid and stir it in. Two separate steps. Don’t add flour and liquid at the same time.
Why this recipe works:
- Roasting the bananas emphasizes their sweetness and makes the ripe bananas even more tender.
- This bread is made like you would make a cake, which means the crumb will be very fine and tender.
- Less liquid makes the bread more tender too, since there is less available water for gluten to form.
Steps
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1
Done
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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prick the bananas with a fork and place on a baking sheet, still in their peel. Roast for 18 to 22 minutes or until the skins are black. Remove the bananas from the oven and let cool. Then peel the bananas and mash the pulp. Stir in the buttermilk. |
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2
Done
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Spray 2 9" x 5" loaf pans with nonstick baking spray containing flour and set aside. |
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3
Done
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In a large bowl, combine the butter with 3/4 cup granulated sugar and brown sugar and beat well. |
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4
Done
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Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the vanilla. |
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5
Done
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In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. |
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6
Done
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Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture alternately with the banana mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. |
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7
Done
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Soon the batter into the prepared pans and sprinkle with the 1/4 cup granulated sugar, using 2 tablespoons for each loaf. |
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8
Done
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Bake for 50 to 60 minutes. Remove the bread from the pans and let cool on a wire rack. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. |
