This is the best of the best banana breads out there! Although it contains your typical butter and sugar, it’s worth it for the softest and most incredible banana bread. You’ll want to bake two loaves because this will get eaten in a flash!
Frozen bananas were taking over my freezer. It was time to make banana bread again. And although I typically like to make my baked goods slightly healthier, this time, I was not going to take shortcuts. I wanted to try a full-fat version of banana bread to see how it compared to the lower fat varieties I have been making.
And oh. My. Gosh.
This banana bread was so amazing that I am starting to question why I even made the lower fat versions before. Seriously guys, the creamed butter and sugar in this made the banana bread that much fluffier and less “heavy” than its healthier counterpart.
Now, this doesn’t mean that I’m ditching my tried-and-true applesauce substitution for baked goods. Oh no. It just means that every once in a while I’m OK without altering classic recipes. I’m sure I’ll make this version a bit healthier the next time (swapping out the flour with white whole whole, using applesauce instead of butter, decreasing the sugar, etc.), but I’m going to enjoy this one for now.
And I’d better hurry, because half of the loaf was gone within 24 hours. I’m going to have to fight the two other people in my house for the remaining half.
Ultimate banana bread
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 eggs beaten
- 4 bananas mashed
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease or line a standard 9"x5" loaf pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large bowl if using a handheld mixer, cream together the butter and sugar on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add the eggs and banana and mix well.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. Turn the mixer to low and slowly add in the dry ingredients and then add the vanilla. Mix until everything just comes together. Do not over mix.
- Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in your preheated oven for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You might want to check the toothpick in a few places since the mashed banana could appear to be wet batter.
- Allow the bread to cool before serving.