The BEST Banana Bread Recipe - and the last you'll ever need! (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for banana bread? ›

Mix in a bowl 3 ripe bananas, well mashed, and 2 eggs, beaten until light. Sift together 2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon baking soda. Add to the first mixture. Add 1/2 cup nut meats, chopped.

Place a paper towel at the bottom of an airtight container or in a zip-top bag. Place the cooled banana bread on top of it, then cover the loaf with another paper towel. Seal the container tightly and refrigerate for up to one week.

Ripe bananas are not only softer and easier to mash and blend into a batter, but they are also sweeter, which is why baking recipes specifically call for ripe bananas in ingredient lists. As the bananas ripen, the fruit converts starches to sugars, making them sweeter and more flavorful.

Cool completely on rack. Wrap and store at room temperature overnight before slicing. (We know it's hard to wait, but your bread will be more evenly moist and less crumbly if you let it sit overnight.)

Baking soda works best in conjunction with an acidic ingredient. In the case of banana bread, this may be buttermilk, brown sugar, molasses or the bananas themselves. Recipes generally include just enough baking soda to balance the acidity in the batter.

You Over-Mix the Batter

For soft and tender banana bread, gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry — don't overmix! The more you stir, the more gluten will develop. The result will be a tough, rubbery banana bread. Simply stir until moist, and then do no more.

Brown sugar is fantastic here too—it makes the loaf extra-moist. Melted butter – It perfects the moist texture and adds buttery flavor. Sub vegetable oil to make this recipe dairy-free! Eggs and baking soda – They help the loaf puff up as it bakes.

Wrapped well and stored at room temperature, banana bread will last about five days. If stored in the fridge, it should last a full week. A frozen loaf of banana bread will last up to a year in the freezer, wrapped well with storage wrap and aluminum foil.

Once it is completely cool, Roszkowski says to keep banana bread fresh by placing it in an airtight container, wrapping it in plastic wrap, or even slicing it and wrapping it in plastic wrap. "This will make sure the banana bread does not lose its moisture and become stale."

To immediately ripen bananas for use in banana breads, cakes, and muffins, you can use the oven. The texture of a baked banana may be a bit softer than that of one naturally ripened but the taste and caramelized sweetness will be amazing.

Is it OK to use really ripe bananas for banana bread? ›

Bananas can go from yellow with brown spots to totally black and still be okay to eat and use for baking. In fact, black bananas are some of the best for making banana bread because they have developed more sugar as they sit around and therefore taste sweeter. They may also be moister, which is perfect for baked goods.

Fill the pan until it's two-thirds full, and if there is any remaining batter, fill up a muffin tin. This ensures you get a beautifully risen loaf instead of a potentially flat loaf in a 9×5. Now that you know the importance of pan sizes, it's time to make a loaf of the Best-Ever Banana Bread!

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 200-205°F, about 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to finish cooling completely.

Save your butter wrappers and use them to grease the loaf pan. Spray oils will work as well, though you'll want to ensure that you get even coverage. Use a paper towel to spread it out into a thin layer rather than spraying more than needed. If you're using oil, be sure to sop up any puddles that form in the pan.

Combine 450g (3 cups) plain bread flour (see note), 1 tbsp (12g/2 sachets) dried yeast and 2 tsp caster sugar in a large bowl. Stir in 1/2 tsp salt. Make a well in the centre. Add 250ml (1 cup) warm milk and 2 tbsp melted butter.

At its simplest, bread is just a mixture of flour, water, and yeast. Any bread recipe will work. 1-2% yeast, 40-50% water and it'll go. Recipes are not an issue.

Pour cold water into blender. Add formula powder (using 1 1/2 times as much formula as is normal will both provide extra nutrition and help thicken the"smoothie"). Place lid on blender and blend until mixed. Add fresh banana and blend until smooth.