Make Ahead

BEST Banana Bread

by:
April  4, 2021
4.5
6 Ratings
BEST Banana Bread
  • Makes 2 loaves
Author Notes

This recipe comes from my Aunt Lisa, and is the only banana bread my mom ever made when I was growing up. I have tried other banana bread recipes, but none of them ever turn out as well as this one - they aren't moist enough, or don't have enough banana flavor, or don't get the gooey delicious top... the name of this recipe says it all. —d_ribbens

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup shortening
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 3 medium overripe bananas (can be frozen, but thaw them first!)
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degF. Butter and flour two medium-sized loaf pans (or, 1 large loaf pan, or 3 small/mini loaf pans).
  2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
  3. Mash the bananas in a bowl and set aside.
  4. Cream the sugar and shortening together until well-mixed and fluffy.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, until fully incorporated.
  6. Add the buttermilk (use real buttermilk if you can, it gives the best results!) and mix until well-combined.
  7. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in 3-4 batches, mixing each time until just incorporated.
  8. Add the mashed bananas and the vanilla, mix until evenly distributed in the batter. If you like, you can add semi-sweet chocolate chips, walnuts, or pecans at this point. Or if you're making multiple loaves, try sprinkling something different into each loaf. I guarantee there's no wrong way to add chocolate to this bread!
  9. Pour batter into loaf pans until about 1/2 to 2/3 full. Bake at 350 degF. 45-60 minutes for larger pans, 25-30 minutes for smaller pans. Bread will be done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.
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5 Reviews

Sarah
Sarah October 3, 2020
Great! Substituted buttermilk with equal amount of homemade whole yogurt and it turned out wonderful.
 
Valerie S.
Valerie S. February 11, 2015
I have long been in search of the perfect banana bread and I think this is it! One issue I had is that I used half white-whole-wheat and then my mixture was almost too dry, so I didn't add about 1/4-1/2 cup of the dry mix, in the end. Wish I knew! I also would like it to be slightly less sweet without being ruined. Let me know if anyone has a successful strategy for decreasing the sugar.
 
genevieve
genevieve December 21, 2014
The one issue that I find with this recipe is that you say add the dry ingredients together, so I added the sugar in with the flour etc. I have to throw all that out and start over. I would revise it to say sift flour, baking powder and baking soda together.
 
genevieve
genevieve December 21, 2014
My bread didn't set. What did I do wrong! :(
 
Claire
Claire August 18, 2013
This is a fantastic recipe. Perfect texture, perfect level of sweetness. Thanks for sharing!