Banana Bread Loaf (Printable)
Moist quick loaf from overripe bananas, brown sugar and vanilla; add nuts or chocolate chips for extra texture.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Wet Ingredients
01 - 3 large overripe bananas, mashed
02 - 2 large eggs
03 - ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
04 - ½ cup granulated sugar
05 - ¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
06 - 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
→ Dry Ingredients
07 - 1¾ cups all-purpose flour
08 - 1 teaspoon baking soda
09 - ½ teaspoon kosher salt
10 - ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
→ Optional Add-ins
11 - ½ cup chopped walnuts or pecans
12 - ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
# How To Make It:
01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x5-inch loaf pan and line with parchment paper, leaving overhang on the long sides for easy removal.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until smooth and well incorporated.
03 - In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until evenly distributed.
04 - Add the dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and fold gently with a spatula until just combined. Avoid overmixing to keep the bread tender.
05 - If using, fold the chopped nuts or chocolate chips into the batter with a few gentle strokes.
06 - Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top evenly with a spatula.
07 - Bake on the center rack for 50 to 60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
08 - Allow the bread to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then lift it out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- It turns produce section rejects into something people genuinely fight over, and there is no better feeling than that.
- The batter comes together in one bowl with zero fancy equipment, which makes it my go-to when I want baking without the production.
02 -
- Overmixing the batter activates the gluten in the flour and turns your tender bread into something dense and rubbery, so stop folding the moment the flour disappears.
- Test your baking soda by dropping a pinch into vinegar, and if it does not fizz immediately, buy a fresh box or your bread will stay flat.
03 -
- Start checking the bread at the 45 minute mark because every oven runs differently and once it passes the point of done there is no going back.
- Let the melted butter cool slightly before adding it to the bowl so it does not accidentally cook the eggs.