This is a classic banana bread, which turned out so good when I first made it many years ago, that I even baked and sold it daily to a small cafeteria back then, when I still ran my home bakery.
Banana Bread, as we all know, is an extremely popular treat and a perfect accompaniment to coffee.
The recipe can be varied endlessly. My Banana (as I lovingly call it) is simple and classic; however, you can use regular wheat flour, whole grain, or spelt flour. Butter can be replaced with extra virgin coconut oil, and you can mix in any nuts, dried fruit, or even seeds. The sweetness is also adjustable — I’ve made it both with no added sugar at all (bananas give plenty of sweetness) and with a touch of muscovado sugar for extra flavor.
The bananas should be as ripe as possible (with the skin already turning brown in spots) — that’s when you’ll get the best result. However, I’ve noticed that if they’re too ripe, almost floury, the texture isn’t quite right anymore — it loses some of its moistness. For the best results, keep this in mind.
Traditional Banana Bread Recipe
10
servings15
minutes685
kcal5
minutes45
minutes12
grams1
hour5
minutesA classic homemade banana bread recipe — moist, tender, and full of sweet banana flavor. Made with ripe bananas, butter, and simple pantry staples, this easy banana bread bakes up golden and comforting every time.
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Ingredients
2 large extra ripe bananas
100 g butter
3 tbsp (heaped) light Muscovado sugar
1 large free-range egg
1,5 cups plain flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 pinches salt (approx.1/2 tsp)
1 tsp vanilla sugar or extract
0,5 cups nuts of your preference
Instructions
- Set the oven to 350°F or 175 °C. If possible, use the fan mode, but it is not essential.
- Mash the bananas and melt the butter.
- Add butter to the banana puree along with sugar.
- Add the vanilla and salt, whisk through.
- Beat the egg and add it to the mixture.
- Mix the flour carefully with the baking powder and add it through a sieve to the liquid mixture.
- Whisk until smooth.
- Grease a loaf pan, and pour the dough into it.
- Sprinkle with nuts.
- Bake for 45 minutes and then cool on a rack.
- Bake for 45 minutes. Then cool on a rack.
- If the pan was properly greased, the banana bread will come out nicely even when it has cooled down a bit.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Bananas: Use very ripe bananas with lots of brown spots — they give the best sweetness and flavor.
- Texture: Don’t overmix the batter; stirring just until combined keeps the bread soft and moist.
- Add-ins: Feel free to mix in chopped nuts (like walnuts or pecans) or chocolate chips for extra flavor, crunch, texture, and interest.
- Storage: Wrap the cooled loaf tightly and store at room temperature for up to 3 days or refrigerate for up to a week. It also freezes beautifully for up to 3 months.
- Serving tip: Tastes even better the next day — slice and warm it slightly before serving. You can spread a dash of mascarpone to level down the sweetness, add creaminess, and make it more filling.
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If you follow the last tip in the notes above and decide to add Mascarpone or cream cheese, then, if you happen to make it in wintertime, you might want to scoop cute little white snowballs of cream cheese and add a few to each slice. And then sprinkle with some crunchy, crumbled dried banana bits! To get an idea of how I made this, check the video, added to this post, or peek at my Instagram reel: Wintery Banana Bead
