I feel like banana bread is something that everyone needs a good recipe for. I don't know if it's just me (it might be), but I always find myself in situations where I need a loaf or have to make one. Usually my parents have some of their friends over and ask for it or we just never got to our bananas in time and they became too mushy to enjoy. So if you're like me, and always find yourself in this situation, I have the easiest and tastiest banana bread recipe for you.
A couple of years ago, I discovered my love for banana bread and was searching for the best recipe that didn’t contain eggs since my family doesn’t cook with them at home. I used this one recipe for a while. At the time that recipe was great since it was so easy and tasted pretty good. Then a couple weeks ago, I tried that recipe again, and to be frank, I thought it was lackluster. The base of that recipe was alright, but I just felt like it needed a little something more. Then that night I had a dream where I made the best banana bread. The next day I made the banana bread from my dream and it was fluffy and moist. It was everything you would want in a good slice of banana bread. A few weeks later, I tried making the banana bread again, but it was a flop-show. The bread was rubbery and the loaf sank after I made it. So I tried again, and again, and again. And 7 loaves later, I came across this final recipe (for now at least). Now that I've perfected this recipe, I want to share it with everyone. This banana bread is full of flavor, its moist and fluffy and will melt in your mouth.
When making banana bread, you want to use the ripest bananas you can. The mushier and darker they are, the sweeter and more flavorful your bread will be. There is no such thing as using "too ripe" bananas. As long as there aren't any moldy spots on your bananas, you're good. Typically in banana bread recipes, eggs act a leavening agent along with baking soda. Since this recipe is eggless, the baking soda and powder are the leavening agents. The recipe says to beat softened butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. This step is optional, but highly recommended since it helps make the banana bread more airy. Chocolate chips and walnuts are two of the many mix-ins you can add to banana bread. These two just happen to be my go-to's so I included them in for this recipe.
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 15 minutes
SERVINGS: 8 slices
INGREDIENTS:
4 very ripe bananas (if you only have 3 bananas, replace the 4th one with 1/4 cup yogurt)
1 ¾ cups flour (210 grams)
¼ cup softened butter (half a stick)
½-¾ cup brown sugar (add more/less depending on the ripeness and sweetness of bananas)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup chocolate chips (optional)
¼ cup walnuts (optional)
Raw sugar (optional)
Cooking spray
RECIPE:
Preheat the oven to 350° F and prepare a 8 ½'' x 4 ½'' or 9 ½" x 5 ½" loaf pan with cooking spray and parchment paper.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside.
In a separate bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer or whisk until it is light and fluffy. You can omit this step and just melt the butter and combine with sugar, but the banana bread won't be as fluffy and light.
Mash the bananas in with the butter and sugar and mix the vanilla in. Add the dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients. Mix until combined and then fold in your chocolate chips and/or walnuts. Then pour it into the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle some raw sugar on top for a crispy sweet topping and bake for 50-60 minutes at 350°F.