Make Banana Bread

Homemade banana bread tastes superb - now you can make it at home yourself. This compilation of recipes offers you various ways to make banana bread.–Why not try them all and discover your favorite?

Ingredients

Banana bread loaf:

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup butter
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2⅓ cups mashed overripe bananas
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ teaspoon banana flavoring
  • ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

Thin banana bread:

  • 2 or 3 bananas
  • 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence/extract
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ cup sugar
  • 1 cup self-rising flour
  • ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon

Old bananas banana bread:

  • 3 ripe bananas (mashed)
  • 1½ cups sugar
  • ½ cup butter (1 stick)
  • 1½ cups flour
  • 2 eggs
  • 4 tablespoons milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla

Steps

Banana Bread Loaf

  1. Preheat oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Lightly grease a loaf pan with butter or cooking spray.
  2. Combine the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl.
  3. Cream together the brown sugar and butter in a separate large bowl.
  4. Stir the eggs and mashed bananas into the butter/sugar mixture until well blended.
  5. Add the banana mixture, vanilla extract, and banana flavoring into the flour mixture. Stir just to moisten.
  6. Pour batter into loaf pan.
  7. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes (depending on your oven type time may vary), or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
  8. Let the bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then invert onto a cooling rack or plate.
  9. Serve by itself or with any topping you like.

Thin Banana Bread

  1. Preheat the oven to 170ºC/325ºF.
  2. Peel the bananas and mash them up into a pulp.
  3. Add the melted butter and combine.
  4. Add the vanilla essence/extract and combine.
  5. Add the baking powder and combine.
  6. Add the sugar and combine.
  7. Add half of the flour and combine. Once that's well mixed, add in the other half of the Flour and combine.
  8. Take a square baking tin/pan and line it with the left-over melted butter (there will be some left over in the bowl), then put the mixture in, spreading evenly.
  9. Put the batter into the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Check to see if it's done.
  10. If it's not done cooking, put in back in the oven for another 5 minutes. Keep doing this until cooked. If it is done cooking, bring bread out of the oven and take it out of the baking tin and put on a plate/cooking rack/tray.
  11. Wait 5 to 7 minutes for bread to cool down, then serve.

Old Bananas Banana Bread

This method works best with older, browned bananas.

  1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF/175ºC. Grease or line a tube pan.
  2. Cream the butter and sugar.
  3. Add eggs and milk. Alternate with the flour, beating well.
  4. Add the vanilla and mashed bananas.
  5. Transfer the batter to the prepared tube pan.
  6. Place in the oven and bake for 1 hour.
  7. Remove when cooked. Test with a toothpick before releasing the cake.
  8. Add a topping if wished––this is optional. Serve warm or cold.

Additions and Substitutions

  1. Get creative and add a ½ cup of nuts, sultanas, raisins or ¼ cup of chocolate chips.
  2. Shortening also works well for greasing the pan.[1]
  3. While most basic banana bread recipes call for white granulated sugar, you can swap it for brown sugar and create a moister, denser texture.
  4. You can use other liquids in your banana bread besides milk. Buttermilk, almond milk, and soy milk would all work well, but you could also substitute sour cream or yogurt for a tangier, moister bread.
  5. For a spicier bread, try adding a teaspoon of cinnamon and a ¼ teaspoon of nutmeg.
  6. Walnuts and pecans are ideal nuts to add to banana bread. It helps to toast them before adding them to the batter, though.
  7. If you're a fan of chocolate, mix in milk, semisweet, or dark chocolate pieces. Keep in mind that regular sized chocolate chips often sink to the bottom of the bread, so use mini chips instead for more even distribution. Grated chocolate is another option.
  8. Give your banana bread some tropical flavor by adding dried pineapple or shredded coconut.
  9. If you want to make your banana bread a little healthier, you can swap half the white flour with whole grain flour.



Tips

  • To check bread is ready, take a skewer and carefully push it down to the bottom of the tin, right in the center. If it's cooked, the skewer will come out clean. If it's not cooked, the skewer will have some of the mixtures on it.
  • If you prefer to make individual servings of the banana bread, you can substitute a muffin pan for the loaf pan. Line the individual cups with paper liners instead of greasing them. If you’re making muffins instead of a loaf, pour the batter into the cups of the muffin tin so they’re ¾ full.
  • If you prefer a smooth consistency for your bread, mash the bananas in a separate bowl until they’re completely lump-free and then add them to the batter. You can also use a stand or hand mixer to combine the bananas with the rest of the batter for a smoother bread.
  • If you’re worried about getting the bread out of the pan at the end of baking, line the pan with parchment paper before greasing it. Make sure the paper is long enough that there’s some excess to hang over the sides for you to grab and lift the bread out. Don’t forget to grease the paper with cooking spray or butter, though.
  • Save bananas - when a banana gets too mushy to eat, put it in the freezer; the skin will turn black. Take it out about half an hour before you start the bread; when it's time to add the bananas, peel it (it will be almost liquid) and dump it directly into the mixing pan. Quick, easy and a good way to use up old bananas!
  • You’ll know that it’s time to take it out of the oven when the top is a golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the pan.
  • Before you preheat the oven, place an oven rack so it rests in the lower third of the oven for the best baking results.
  • If you want the banana flavor to be more subtle in your bread, try decreasing the number of bananas. Two or three may be all you want.
  • It’s best to crack the eggs into a separate bowl and beat them lightly before adding them to the butter and sugar.
  • The riper your bananas are, the better. That means that your bananas should be yellow but evenly covered with brown freckles and just a bit too soft for eating. If you want your bread to have an even stronger banana flavor and a denser texture, though, you can let the bananas ripen even longer -- wait until the skins are brown and the fruit is beginning to fall apart.[1]
  • If you want to bake a loaf of bread and your bananas aren’t ripe yet, help the process along by placing the unpeeled bananas on a cookie sheet and baking them at 250℉/120℃ degrees for 15 to 20 minutes. Let them cool before peeling them and using them in your bread.[2]
  • It’s best to mix the dry ingredients into the wet batter in batches so you can ensure that everything is fully mixed together. Add about half of the dry ingredients and combine completely before adding the rest and mixing again.
  • If you’re stirring the dry ingredients into the batter by hand, it’s best to use a spatula instead of a whisk.
  • The banana bread recipe multiples well, so consider doubling or tripling the ingredients and making extra loaves for freezing.

Warnings

  • Avoid cutting the bread right after it comes out of the oven as it will most likely tear.

Things You'll Need

  • Masher or fork for bananas
  • Mixing bowl
  • Mixing implement
  • Cake pan (tube pan for method 3)
  • Oven mitt
  • Toothpick or skewer for testing doneness
  • Wire cooling rack

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-banana-bread-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-139900
  2. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/ultimate-banana-bread-recipe-article
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