Banana Bread
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Author Notes: This is a family favorite that my mother used to make all the time when I was growing up. The recipe comes from an old community cookbook called Forum Feasts -- I've cut back on the sugar a little, but otherwise it remains the same. Tender, with a crisp, brown crust and really intense banana flavor, it's perfect for breakfast, or thickly buttered with a hot cup of tea. - merrill
Makes one 2-pound loaf
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for the pan
- 3 large, ripe bananas
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- Heat the oven to 350 degrees F, and butter a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan.
- Peel the bananas and in a large mixing bowl, mash them well with a fork. Stir in the sugar and then the egg, mixing thoroughly. Stir in the butter.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Fold the dry ingredients gently into the wet, mixing just until you no longer see any streaks of raw flour. (Do not over-mix, or the banana bread will be tough!)
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean and the bread is just starting to come away from the sides of the pan.
- Cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes, and then turn out onto the rack to cool completely before slicing and serving. The bread has a lovely, crisp crust when it’s fresh; if you wrap the leftovers tightly in foil and eat them the next day, you’ll lose that crisp crust, but the texture and flavor will still be great -- if not even better.
- This recipe is a Community Pick!
Tags: can be made ahead, freezes well, quick
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1 day ago SADIEE
Oops and a dash of cinnamon too! :)
1 day ago SADIEE
GREAT RECIPE, I USE MEXICAN VANILLA AND BANANA FLAVORING AND A STICK OF BUTTER AND NUTS....THIS RAISE THE ROOF ON FAB & AWESOME.
8 days ago graciousglutton
Great recipe that is fun to play around with! I subbed canola oil for butter, used 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 1/8 cup white (cutting out the extra 1/8 cup called for in the recipe), added 1/2 t vanilla, and added 2 heaping tbsp of 2% greek yogurt for added moisture. Made these into muffins, so they only needed to bake for about 18 minutes. My family doesn't like things too sweet so next time I may cut the sugar down even further.
about 1 month ago adamnsvetcooking
I added cinnamon to the recipe, it was yummie
3 months ago Cena
Easy! And yes, the crust is crunchy, sweet and perfect!. My son went nuts for it. WIll make again and again!
3 months ago Andreakat
I'm making this as I type and it was very simple and quick. I think it's a little sweet for my tastes but I can reduce the sugar next time. One reason for me to reduce the sugar is I also baked this batter in muffin tins and filled with half of the batter then put cinnamon sugar then added rest of batter for a cinnamon swirl effect. I also sprinkled the top with cinnamon sugar for crunch. We'll see how it turns out! Thanks for the easy recipe.
4 months ago Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker)
I bookmarked this recipe three years ago and finally got around to trying it. (I have a tried-and-true banana bread and was hesitant to rock the boat.) This was SOOO easy and delicious, and I love that it has so little fat. I used the kitchen aid mixer for the first two steps - just threw in the bananas whole, added the sugar, egg, and oil, and mixed for a minute. Then I added the baking soda, powder and salt and mixed for a few seconds. Added the flour by hand so as not to overwork it.
The whole business took me five minutes (plus one more minute for cleanup) and the bread is awesome. Definitely a new favorite for us.
4 months ago muskrat
Just made this and I was shocked - SHOCKED, that my no-experience-in-baking-whatsoever-self could make something that actually tasted good. Love this banana bread recipe!
4 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
So glad to hear this!
4 months ago Deb
Love this recipe. Just made it again. It's perfect.
4 months ago vennie Naiker
Hi I would like to know if oil can take the place of butter.Thanks have a pleasant day.Vennie
4 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Yes, vegetable oil should work fine.
4 months ago mdm
delicious, thanks! I've also added chocolate chips in some batches -- big hit with the kiddos.
4 months ago Melissaiscooking
I had an extreme overabundance of bananas last night, so I made this and the family adored it! I did change a couple things: I substituted rye flour for half the AP flour, added 2 tsp. of vanilla, and sprinkled plenty of turbinado sugar on top of the loaves before they went in the oven. It was quite a hit! Thanks so much for sharing.
5 months ago chxmp
I'm going to make this with my girlfriend today! Sounds delish.
5 months ago shozgirl
Just made and was wonderful. On top I put a row of walnuts and choc chips, on edges of top placed banana slices. Sprinkled with raw sugar. All very very good.
6 months ago Esther Gertrude
So good and so little butter compared to other banana breads. Thanks Merrill!
7 months ago Jean Mason
I received my first copy of Forum Feasts when I was a newlywed 27 years ago. I have made this banana bread for years and It has always gotten rave reviews. Sometimes I add pecans to the recipe. My favorite Forum Feasts recipe is the Mocha Cake.
7 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Will have to try that one!
7 months ago heasue
I hardly ever bake, but I had some overly ripe organic bananas, so looked up this recipe. It was simple to put together and turned out absolutely delicious. I would not change one thing. The crust was a little crunchy, and the center flavorful and moist. I wish I had more bananas--I've eaten almost half the loaf!
7 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
So glad you liked it!
7 months ago Suedy
This is totally awesome. Some recipes leave left me with sticky messy bread. I even used egg substitute due to an egg allergy and it turned out perfect. I added walnuts too and I stirred it gently with a fork!
7 months ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Walnuts are a great addition, and good to know you can use egg substitute!
7 months ago vallygoil
I loved this recipe - I did add a Tbsp. of balsamic vinegar to make the banana flavor pop and a 1/2 tsp cardamom as well ... it was a real hit!
8 months ago darksideofthespoon
I just made this, using brown sugar instead of white. I made 4 mini loafs, half of them with chocolate chips. I am so excited to devour these, they smell so good!
9 months ago Karl Rosaen
Karl is Food52's VP of Technology.
We made a double batch of this last week, swearing we would only eat a few pieces before giving the rest away. We at.. it.. all... practically subsisted on banana bread exclusively for 3 days, so good!
9 months ago JulianaD
Easy and was great.
9 months ago fhp
It was Too Easy and Too Great and now its gone and that is why I never bake. But it sure beats throwing out the old bananas.
10 months ago TheLearningCook
I made two loaves of this today and added peanut butter to one of them. Yummy
about 1 year ago Cassi Shindelbower
Loved this recipe, a simple classic. I used two parts white sugar and one part brown for a touch of extra moisture.
about 1 year ago Kim Kim
I made this bread today. It is really easy and my family loved it. It is almost gone!
about 1 year ago Jessie G
excellent classic. I used half whole wheat "white" flour (what IS that exactly? can someone pls tell me!) - and half white flour. turned out great ... and makes me feel like it's a little healthier ... and my kids LOVE It.
about 1 year ago Jessie G
excellent classic. I used half whole wheat "white" flour (what IS that exactly? can someone pls tell me!) - and half white flour. turned out great ... and makes me feel like it's a little healthier ... and my kids LOVE It.
over 1 year ago BrooksRoast
I've made a lot of banana bread -- this is the best. Nice texture, caramelized on the outside, not too sweet, not too oily. The children approve, want to make some more immediately. Baked with four modifications: Four bananas instead of three, brown sugar instead of white, addition of toasted pecan pieces, and baked for 45 minutes and then left in the oven to cool.
over 1 year ago Lottelenya
Made this with half spelt flour, half plain flour and that worked really well. I did cut down the sugar to 100 grams though ( i think that's about half a cup), but made dulce de leche to put on top the slices....delish!
over 1 year ago Drew Lorenc
Quite tasty and much healthier than the variety I am used to making. In stead of a loaf I made muffins, but the only difference is in cook time. I used 6 medium bananas, mashed but not puree (chunks of banana give a bit more pow) and put in 1c brown sugar. Also threw in about 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate bits and sprinkled with sugar in the raw for a crunch on top. Delicious! Thank you so much for the base, I think I'll try adding some coconut to the next batch.
over 1 year ago DebJ
Always on the lookout for a "better" banana bread recipe, I made this as soon as I saw it. It's become my early Sunday morning recipe. I use a little more banana and add walnuts and pecans.
over 1 year ago Grandma Kathy
One more thing. The recipe calls for large bananas. It you are using smaller ones the dryness would be the result. Add an additional banana if yours are small and 1/2 banana if they are medium.
I had a few drops of butter left and poured them over the top, sprinkled a little turibano sugar on top of a bit of crunch.
over 1 year ago Grandma Kathy
I'm just eating my first piece and it truly is delicious. I may be able to add some help with the dryness a few bakers noted. My husband has owned bakeries since 1970. Professional bakers use a canned banana puree when making banana bread. It is simply ripe bananas thoroughly mashed which causes them to be more liquid. Something half way between a hand mashed banana and baby food (which has water). If you take the time to really mash the bananas into a soft puree the bread may be moister.
Additionally you could use brown sugar instead of granulated. It contains a little more molasses but not enough to really change the flavor. Additionally it contains m ore water and might make the bread a bit moister too.
over 1 year ago lisa.chick
I love the low fat content of this recipe, but found the result a little dry. Cook for less time? Add more butter?
over 1 year ago SaratheCook
I abosolutley addore banana bread - try adding nuts if you like them. It's just delicious !
- sarahskitchenblog.wordpress.com
almost 2 years ago mayaeats
this was amazing! my first time making banana bread, and it came out perfect.
almost 2 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
So glad to hear it!
almost 2 years ago nogaga
I feel compelled to add another comment! I really think this is a recipe that keeps on giving... I have been trying to experiment with dairy-free and reduced wheat. I just made this recipe using four medium-sized bananas, coconut oil in the place of butter and using a cup and a half of whole spelt flour, one half cup organic AP white flour. Again, the bread is delicious indulgent, and my house smells divine. What can I say? Thanks for a great recipe.
almost 2 years ago FroggyFrog
I really liked this bread, but it wasn't as moist as I had expected to be - although, it's been a while since I'd made it, so I'm not sure if I'm remember how it's supposed to be.
I think next time I make this, I'm going to use 4 bananas instead of 3 - the banana flavor wasn't as strong as I thought it should be, even though the ones I used were very large.
All in all, a really good recipe!
almost 2 years ago merrill
Merrill is a co-founder of food52.
Sorry you found it dry. Let me know how it works with 4 bananas!
almost 2 years ago nogaga
I had some rapidly browning bananas about ten days ago and stuck them in the freezer. I defrosted three of them today and made this recipe using whole wheat flour for half the amount. It is delicious, and like chez nana says, my house smells divine.
almost 2 years ago Mountain Mama
Excellent!!! Great taste. Not overly sweet. :>
about 2 years ago ctgal
No brown sugar?? My mother's version, the same, always used brown sugar, which I've always loved. What's the difference, do you think?
about 2 years ago Lew
This is just like my grandmother's (no doubt it's the small amount of butter), and though I was horrified at all those cooks who added chocolate chips (this is banana bread!) I threw in a handful of my cinnamon sugar as part of the sugar quota. Homey and delicious.
about 2 years ago chelsgrant
Thanks for this recipe! I made a vegan version of it and it came out amazingly moist inside with a beautiful crispy exterior. This is my new staple recipe for banana bread. Thanks for the inspiration!
about 2 years ago The Daily Palette
This is in the oven right now!
about 2 years ago lacerise
Your photo really captures my feelings about banana bread. It's been a favorite in my family with my children. I long ago adapted a recipe similar to yours by adding a handful of chopped toasted pecans and a handful of coconut. So easy to whip up and so yummy!
about 2 years ago Rembems
Absolutely lovely!
about 2 years ago chez nana
I had three beautifully brown bananas (it's a sign, I say) screaming out to me to be made into this Bananal Bread. Easy, quick, and no nuts, thank you. My house smells divine and the bread is deliciously perfect. A keeper!!
about 2 years ago Ordinary Blogger (Rivki Locker)
I love how this has just 3 tablespoons of butter. Not very much fat, and looks delicious.