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!