Easy Banana Bread
This recipe for Easy Banana Bread doesn’t even require an electric mixer! Make it with overripe bananas for the best flavor and texture.
This delicious bread stirs together with a whisk and bakes up snack cake-style in an 8×8 inch square pan. I’ve always baked my banana bread in loaf pans, but after trying it this way I’ve changed my decorum. Perhaps permanently! There’s more soft and tender middle to enjoy this way, which is my favorite part.
This classic banana bread begins with brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and melted butter. Stir the mixture together with a whisk or a wooden spoon until well combined.
Mash up four large ripe bananas in a bowl until fine. A fork works well for this. A few remaining lumps of banana are okay. Whisk the mashed banana into the brown sugar mixture.
I prefer and recommend using overripe bananas, which will give this bread bold banana flavor and supreme moistness.
Add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients, which is flour, baking soda, salt. Easy enough, right? Again, a whisk is perfectly fine for this step. Slowly stir until just combined, you’re not looking to incorporate any air, which is usually a whisk’s job. But its balloon shape works really well at pulling all the ingredients together as you stir.
Add some crunchy nuts! This can be an optional addition, but not for me. I love slightly sweet pecans added to the batter. English walnuts are also quite good. But if you’re looking to really indulge, then add in 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips – yum!
Bake the batter it for 45-50 minutes, then let the bread cool 10 minutes before turning it out onto a wire rack. You could also let it cool completely in the pan and serve slices directly from there.
This simple banana bread is delicious served warm, and slices can be reheated in the microwave for about 20 seconds. But we enjoy it at room temperature, too. A slice makes an excellent breakfast on a busy morning. If you have more time for embellishment, add a pat of salted butter and a drizzle of honey.
(If you only have three large bananas on hand, you might consider making my favorite Banana Nut Muffins instead!)
Easy Banana Bread
Heather Baird
This recipe for Easy Banana Bread doesn’t even require an electric mixer! Use a whisk or a wooden spoon to stir the batter together. Make it with overripe bananas for the best flavor and texture. If you must make this on an electric mixer, use the paddle attachment if possible, and mix on lowest speed setting.This recipe doesn’t use a loaf pan, and instead uses an 8×8 inch baking pan. This makes the banana bread soft and tender, almost like a snack cake. Serve slices warm with salted butter or a drizzle of honey.
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Prep Time 10 minsCook Time 45 minsTotal Time 55 mins
Course Bread, Breakfast, DessertCuisine American
Servings 12
Equipment8×8 inch square baking panparchment paper
Ingredients US CustomaryMetric 1 cup light brown sugar packed2 large eggs2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/2 cup unsalted butter melted and cooled slightly4 large overripe bananas1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt3/4 cups chopped pecans optional
Instructions Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat an 8×8 inch pan with flour-based baking spray, cooking spray, or line it with parchment paper.In a large mixing bowl, place the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla and butter. Stir together with a whisk or wooden spoon until combined. Peel the bananas and place them in a separate mixing bowl. Mash well with a fork until fine. A few lumps of banana are okay. Add the bananas to the brown sugar mixture. Stir to combine.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the wet banana mixture. Stir together until just combined. Add the pecans, if using, and fold them in using a rubber spatula.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until a toothpick tester inserted near the center comes out clean.Allow the bread to cool in the pan 10 minutes before turning it out, or serve slices of the bread warm directly from the pan.Serve squares of banana bread split and stuffed with pats of salted butter.Banana bread will keep well at room temperature for two days. Cover with plastic wrap or foil. Or, store it in the refrigerator for up to four days. Bring to room temperature before serving.
NotesWhat to expect: This is so easy to make! I think it’s the best banana bread I’ve tried. The 8×8 pan really maximizes the tenderness of the bread, making it almost like a snack cake. It is moist and flavorful. The crust isn’t hard or crumbly, rather, it’s more soft like a cake’s crust.
Mix-ins: In place of the pecans, use your favorite nut. English walnuts are delicious. Or try an equal amount of semisweet chocolate chips.
Another layer of flavor: In fall and winter months, I like to add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the dry ingredients. It adds and extra ounce of cozy. But most of the time I make this as written, without cinnamon.
Keyword brown sugar, chopped pecans, fresh bananas
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