Description
This classic banana bread recipe yields a moist, tender loaf infused with the natural sweetness of ripe bananas and a hint of warm cinnamon. Perfect for breakfast or a comforting snack, it uses simple ingredients and straightforward steps to create a delicious homemade treat.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Dry Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (210g)
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Wet Ingredients
- 3/4 cup light or dark brown sugar (165g)
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (113g)
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 3/4 cups mashed ripe bananas (430g)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pan: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan with butter or baking spray to ensure the bread doesn’t stick.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, and ground cinnamon until well combined.
- Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar and softened unsalted butter on high speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy.
- Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions to ensure even mixing. Then mix in the vanilla extract until evenly incorporated.
- Incorporate Bananas and Dry Ingredients: Fold the mashed ripe bananas into the wet mixture. Gently add the dry ingredient mixture and fold together just until combined to avoid overmixing.
- Pour Batter and Bake: Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing the top. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Bread: Let the banana bread cool in the pan for 20 minutes. Then, remove it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Measure flour accurately using a kitchen scale to avoid dry or crumbly bread. If no scale is available, fluff flour before spooning into a measuring cup and level with a knife.
- Use softened butter at room temperature for a light and soft crumb. Set butter out about 1 hour before baking or soften quickly if needed.
- Use room-temperature eggs for better binding and a consistent batter.
- For texture, leave some small banana chunks instead of pureeing the bananas completely.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice (approx. 1/10 loaf)
- Calories: 220 kcal
- Sugar: 14 g
- Sodium: 210 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 32 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Cholesterol: 55 mg
