Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (2024)

Published:

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (1)
Thad Jones is back with his favorite easy banana bread recipe, another one of the lovely treats he’s cooked for me over the past few months (be sure to check out his cucumber salad and Bavarian torte with nectarines). I’m one spoiled girl, I tell ya! Having a boy in my life that cooks for me just leaves me breathless.

Thad quickly is becoming a weekly contributor here on Fearless Fresh and I’m very glad to have him (and his amazing dishes!).

Coffee. That magical bean that must be roasted to unlock it’s flavour, aroma and that specialness we call caffeine. All around the world at any given moment, you can walk into a cafe and see countless people frantically typing away on their computers, no doubt jazzed by any number of caffeine-related drinks. What interests me, though, are the quality of the snacks you can get at a cafe… or the kind you can make at home, like this recipe for vanilla-lemon sour cream coffee cake.

Gone are the days when just a scone would suffice. Now there are macaroons, high end cupcakes, small torts, salads, super-gourmet paninis, and just about anything else you can think of. Along with those treats comes high prices, and I’m just not willing to shell out three dollars or more for one small little item.

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (2)

If I do buy a snack, I want something that is going to sate my appetite as well as my sweet tooth. The only items in cafes that do that are pound cake, slices of marble cake, or some sort of nut bread. I really love banana bread the most, but once again the cost makes me cringe when for a few dollars more I can make an entire loaf at home. That’s what I’ve been doing lately; making my own easy banana bread recipe. I can smuggle a few pieces anywhere I want — movie theaters, coffee shops, or just use it as something that will quickly fill my stomach up when I need it.

Banana bread has long been an American staple and there are so many ways of making it, so it can be downright impossible to figure out which to make. From nuts, to pieces of fruit, to a drizzled glaze on the top, it’s a veritable Wild West out there when you are looking for recipes.

As for myself, I look to what my grandmother used to make for my mom when she was little, and what my mom used to make when I was little. When I was young, the smell wafting throughout our place in Germany reminded me of America, though to be fair, the time I spent in America when I was young was so long ago that I don’t remember it. That’s the magic of banana bread; it reminds us of family, simpler times, and the long-forgotten places where we were scarfing down slices of this classic dish. It doesn’t matter if they were toasted for breakfast with butter, in my brown bag lunch for a snack, or just plain for a simple dessert.

The past few weeks I’ve been making this easy banana bread recipe on the weekends because Steph and I have been visiting the park in Los Gatos, laying out on the grass while eating some fruit from the weekly farmers market and indulging in freshly-baked banana bread. Since this is my grandmothers recipe, it is VERBOTEN to change any ingredient at all. However, I found that forgoing the banana extract she called for and using almond extract instead put an incredible twist on this classic. So incredible, in fact, that we often munch a bit too much at the park, and we barely come around to making dinner!

Now butter it up, toast it, or just eat it plain. Your childhood memories may vary, but it certainly rewinds the clock to a simpler time.

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (3)

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (4)

Easy Banana Bread Recipe

This easy banana bread recipe is quick, moist and simple to make. Tender with a touch of almond flavoring, this bread will take you back to childhood. Makes one loaf of bread.

0 from 0 votes

Print Pin

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 55 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 441kcal

Author: Stephanie Stiavetti

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
  • 2 large eggs beaten
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 4 medium ripe bananas mashed
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped almonds (optional)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F (176°C). Generously grease a large loaf pan with butter and coat with flour.

  • Wish an electric beater or stand mixer, mix butter, eggs, sugar, almond extract, vanilla extract, cinnamon, and mashed bananas.

  • In a separate bowl mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients, mixing well. If using nuts, add them now.

  • Pour into a greased and floured loaf pan, filling until 3/4 full. Bake at 350ºF (176°C) for 55 minutes, or until the crust is a deep, dark brown color (but not burnt!). When done, loosen bread from pan and lay on it’s side on cooling rack. Once cool, put in plastic bag and refrigerate for up to 1 week.

Nutrition

Calories: 441kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 519mg | Potassium: 358mg | Fiber: 3g | Vitamin A: 550IU | Vitamin C: 7.4mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 2.5mg

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (5)

If you like this banana bread recipe, check out these others:

This content was originally posted on FearlessFresh.com.

About Steph

I’m Steph, a classically-trained cooking teacher and professional recipe developer who’s going to show you how to COOK LIKE A BOSS.

Follow me for friendly-fierce guidance and training. Let's get you on the road to becoming a master home cook!

Easiest Banana Bread Recipe - Fearless Fresh (2024)

FAQs

Why is my banana bread not fluffy? ›

You Measure Flour the Wrong Way

Moisture is key when it comes to banana bread, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with dry bread. If you don't use enough, your bread will be too wet.

Why does my banana bread not taste good? ›

If your banana bread doesn't taste like bananas, it could be that you didn't use bananas that were ripe enough. The flavour of a ripe banana is quite different than a green banana. Choose the ripest bananas possible. Some bakers recommend using bananas that are on the verge of over-ripe with completely black peels.

Why my banana bread didn t cook? ›

Your oven may not have been set to the correct temperature. You may not have used the correct pan size. You may not have followed the recipe correctly. For example, you may have added too much liquid, or you may not have added enough of some dry ingredient, and therefore your dough may have had too much moisture.

What happens if you add an extra egg to banana bread? ›

Adding more eggs makes for a spongy, less flavorful banana bread. Doubling the number of eggs I was using resulted in a spongy cake with a moist texture. While the banana flavor was present, it wasn't as prominent as it was in other loaves. This had more of a hint of flavor.

How can I make my bread fluffier instead of dense? ›

Potato Flakes or Potato Water

Starch helps the dough by trapping the gas from the yeast in the dough and makes the bubbles stronger. This helps the bread to rise and be lighter and fluffier. If you are boiling potatoes, you can use the unsalted water in place of the water in your bread recipe to help out the yeast.

Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›

Banana bread recipes typically ask you to use overripe bananas so that they're easier to mush. This means it's tempting to toss all your bananas into the mix when you're ready to bake, to avoid food waste. But if you add too much of the fruit into your batter, your bread could turn out mushy, heavy, and wet.

Which is better, baking soda or baking powder? ›

When to use which one. Baking soda is used in recipes that also include an acidic ingredient, such as cream of tartar, buttermilk, or citrus juice. Conversely, baking powder is typically used when the recipe doesn't feature an acidic ingredient, as the powder already includes the acid needed to produce carbon dioxide.

Should banana bread cool in the pan or out? ›

Bake until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or a digital thermometer inserted into the center reads 200-205°F, about 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 minutes before removing the loaf from the pan to finish cooling completely.

Why is my banana bread still wet in the middle? ›

What to do if you've used too many bananas. If you must add an extra banana into your batter, there are ways to prevent the bread from turning mushy. Using a lot of bananas adds excess moisture, and there are two ways to get rid of it. You could either add more flour or increase the baking time.

Why is my banana bread always raw in the middle? ›

If your oven has not reached the correct baking temperature before the banana bread is placed in the oven, the banana bread will be undercooked and more likely to sink. I like to use a hanging oven thermometer placed inside my oven to see if the oven has reached the correct temperature.

Can dogs eat bananas? ›

Bananas are safe for dogs, but moderation is key. Bananas are high in sugar, so too much of it can put your dog at risk of developing medical conditions. You should give your dog only a few thin slices of banana once in a while. At least 90% of your dog's food should be regular dog food.

How black is too black for banana bread? ›

The best bananas for banana bread aren't yellow; they're black. Or they're at least streaked with black/brown, with just the barest hint of green at the stem. And again, the darker the better: there's no such thing as a too-ripe banana when you're making banana bread.

Do bananas need to be old for banana bread? ›

Bananas don't have to over ripe for banana bread. They do make it taste better as they are sweeter. If you don't wish to wait for them to ripen more, you'll probably want to add some sugar to your recipe. If you want to rush then to ripen, place in a bowl with apples.

How do I make my bread fluffier? ›

Adding sugar or honey: A small amount of sugar or honey can help to feed the yeast and create more carbon dioxide, which can make the bread more fluffy. Adding fat: Adding a small amount of fat to the dough, such as butter or oil, can make the bread more tender and fluffy.

Why is my bread not fluffy and soft? ›

Incorrect Activation or Wrong Yeast. For the bread to appear soft and fluffy, You must ensure that your yeast ferments correctly. It's not just the temperature in your kitchen, but also the activity of the yeast. Also, you must add the yeast to warm water to activate it.

Why is my bread not fluffy enough? ›

One of the most common reasons for dense bread is over or under-kneaded dough. Kneading your dough directly affects gas production, as it increases the rate that fermentation occurs. Without kneading, bread dough will take much longer to ferment fully.

Which makes the bread fluffy? ›

The yeast releases carbon dioxide, which fills the dough and increases its volume. Due to the heat, more gas bubbles emerge when this dough is baked. The bread rises and becomes soft and fluffy as the gas leaves.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Last Updated:

Views: 6009

Rating: 4.9 / 5 (69 voted)

Reviews: 84% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Lakeisha Bayer VM

Birthday: 1997-10-17

Address: Suite 835 34136 Adrian Mountains, Floydton, UT 81036

Phone: +3571527672278

Job: Manufacturing Agent

Hobby: Skimboarding, Photography, Roller skating, Knife making, Paintball, Embroidery, Gunsmithing

Introduction: My name is Lakeisha Bayer VM, I am a brainy, kind, enchanting, healthy, lovely, clean, witty person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.