My family goes through a bunch of bananas very quickly. My husband and I each like to eat them at least once a day, and Addie eats them as a snack or breakfast on occasion. We eat so many bananas that we often have to make a mid-week trip to the grocery store to buy another bunch. Sometimes we buy so many bananas that we don’t eat them all before they turn brown.
That’s when I freeze them. I had a stash of about 5-6 bananas in my freezer when my husband made the suggestion for banana bread. I turned to my The Best New Recipe cookbook to try their recipe. Since the people behind the cookbook test and re-test various recipes and publish the best one, I knew that what they included in the cookbook would be the ultimate recipe.
I pulled out 3 frozen bananas and thawed them in the microwave. Then I proceeded with the recipe and had my banana bread baking within 10 minutes. I had to run an errand while the bread was baking so my husband got to be the lucky one to take it out of the oven. Obviously, he snuck a slice before I had returned home.
This bread was just as expected – it was soft, moist, and full of bananas. It is a solid banana bread recipe and would be great with some add-ins of your choice: nuts, cinnamon, chocolate chips, etc. I happily ate this bread for breakfast for several days – along with a fresh banana, of course.
Basic banana bread
Ingredients
- 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup (5 and 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 very soft ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/4 cup Greek yogurt can substitute with plain yogurt
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter melted and cooled
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Generously grease a standard 9x5x2 inch loaf pan. You can coat the sides and bottom with flour and tap out the excess. I used a silicone loaf pan and did not grease it.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the mashed bananas, yogurt, eggs, butter and vanilla.
- Slowly add the banana mixture into the bowl with the dry ingredients. Mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until the batter has just come together - do not overmix.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. The top should be a golden brown.
- Turn off the oven, remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before serving.