Let me tell you a story. This banana bread is a staple in my kitchen. It's the first thing I baked when the art of baking grabbed my attention all those years ago. So many years later, I still rely on this bread to give my coffee some much-needed company when I'm sitting out in the balcony.
It’s my quick fix if I’m craving a little something sweet, specially on that particular sorry day when the aroma of warm baking has not filled my apartment. This bread is wonderfully moist from the extra ripe bananas and delightfully nutty. The best part, of course, is drawing out my mixing bowl and a fork from the cabinet. That is it! See, why it’s a staple in my kitchen.
Key to the ultimate banana bread is to use bananas that you would normally find rather gross. They need to be really ripe because the riper they are, the sweeter they are. Which obviously means that your batter will require less sugar.
I just love that I can toss in the ingredients so carelessly. No precision required, whatsoever.
I always like sprinkling extra nuts on top to fancy up the bread just a tad. A thick slice of this moist perfection and straight-up bitter black coffee? Yes please.
If you are more into visuals, check out how I make this!
Ultimate Banana Bread
Ingredients
- 3 large bananas they MUST be over riped
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil or butter
- ⅔ cups brown sugar the riper the bananas the sweeter they will be, so this amount is perfect for me
- 1 large egg
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- nuts optional
Instructions
- Grease a 9 by 5 inch loaf pan and preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas to a porridge-like consistency. Be sure to use bananas that are over ripe because the flavors will be more intense.
- Add in sugar, followed by oil, and the egg, making sure to whisk before adding the next ingredient.
- Tip in the flour mixed with the salt and leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder) and mix only until the dry ingredients are moistened. Overmixing the batter at this point will make the bread chewy and tough, so don’t overmix!
- Finally, toss in nuts and gently fold them into the batter.
- Plop the batter into your pan and tap the pan on the counter to release any air bubbles.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
Notes
- Over the years, I have tweaked the way I make my Banana Nut bread and my new recipe calls for adding ¼ cup sour cream or yogurt and ¼ cup oil.
Irina
Wow this looks yummy Izza! I can almost smell the bananas :)))
Welcome to blogging!
Izza -Rookie With a Cookie
Thank you so much Irina! I'm so excited to finally start blogging about the one thing that I love talking about. I hope you stay in touch:)