Did you really experience quarantine if you didn’t make banana bread? I’m a little late to the train, because it seems like everyone and their mothers made banana bread during the pandemic! It’s so easy to make and a proven crowd-pleaser, and with really few, simple ingredients. Just make sure you use bananas that are overripe, or they won’t be as easy (or flavorful) to use! Also, I definitely tried to make a “healthy” banana bread once upon a time using oats instead of flour – trust me, don’t do it. Stick with eating real banana bread in moderation, your taste buds will thank you!
Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter, room temp (113g)
- 2/3 cup brown sugar (142g)
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 cups mashed overripe bananas (340g)
- 1/4 cup honey (85g)
- 2 large eggs
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (269g)
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (57g), optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly grease a 9×5 loaf pan.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the butter, sugar, vanilla, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, and beat on medium speed until smooth.
- Add the bananas, honey, and eggs, and beat on medium-low speed until smooth.
- With a rubber spatula, fold in the flour and then the walnuts (if you're using nuts) just until smooth. Do not use the stand mixer for this!
- Carefully pour the batter into the greased loaf pan, and using a spoon or a knife, make sure the top is smooth and level. Let the batter rest in the pan at room temp for ~10 minutes.
- Bake the bread for 45 minutes, and then carefully put a sheet of aluminum foil on top to keep the top from getting too dark while the rest of the loaf bakes. Bake for an additional 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean, with a few crumbs. If there's any uncooked batter, bake for another 5 minutes. Careful not to overbake though, you don't want a dry banana bread!
- Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn it out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Enjoy!
