Banana Bread
This banana bread is light, moist, and tender with a crunchy top.
When making this banana bread, use those dark brown and spotty bananas. The riper the bananas are, the moister, and the more prominent banana flavor your banana bread will have. You don't want to use green bananas or the banana bread will bake starchy and will not taste as good.
The plain yogurt in this recipe makes the banana bread tender. The walnuts give the banana bread a nutty flavor and a delicious crunch.
This banana bread lasts for days; I think it’s better on the second and third days when the flavor has had time to rest.
Happy Baking
XO, Love Manuela
Before you start
It’s very important to read through the entire recipe before starting and read the *notes below. That’s the best way to avoid mistakes and ensure you have everything you need.
For all the step-by-step, pictures scroll to → Notes and click on the clickable link.
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- Bakers tip
→Use very ripe bananas when making this banana bread. The dark brown and spotty bananas are what you are looking for. You don't want the green bananas; otherwise, they will bake of starchy and not very pleasant; The riper the bananas are, the more prominent the banana flavor, and the most delicious moist banana bread you will bake off. For 450 gram mashed bananas, you´ll need about 4 to 5 medium ripe bananas or 3 to 4 large. Again, it is best to use a scale.
→As bananas ripen and develop black spots, their flavor becomes much sweeter, It can take more than a week to reach this point. Ripening bananas naturally produces a sweeter flavor.
→ All-purpose flour is sometimes labeled as plain flour; it has a protein content of 9.3 to 11,7 %, which gives you tender banana bread. You can also use a mix of all-purpose flour and cake flour for even more tender banana bread.
→ Plain yogurt or crème fraîche or sour cream is used to add moisture and flavor to the banana bread and activate the baking soda.
→The walnut gives the banana bread a nutty flavor and crunch, and you can substitute the walnuts with pecans or flaked almonds or just leave it out.
Banana Bread
- 450 gram overripe bananas, peeled and mashed
- 6 grams (1 tsp) Baking soda
- 200 gram white sugar or superfine sugar
- 125 gram unsalted butter, melted
- 120 gram plain yogurt, or crème fraîche, or sour cream, cold straight from the fridge
- Two large eggs at room temp
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
- 250 gram all-purpose flour or 125 gram all-purpose flour + 125 gram cake flour
- Pinch of salt
- 100 gram whole walnuts, or whole pecans, or flaked almonds, optional
Direction for Banana Bread
- Use very ripe bananas when making this banana bread, the dark brown and spotty bananas are what you are looking for. You don't want the green bananas otherwise, they will bake of starchy and not very pleasant; The riper the bananas are, the more prominent the banana flavor, and the most delicious moist banana bread you will bake off.
- Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat the oven to 160C° / 320F° 30 minutes before baking.
- Use a pastry brush to lightly coat the inside of a 23 cm x 12,5 cm (9×5-inch) loaf pan with softened or melted butter. Next, add a few tablespoons of flour and tap it around the inside of the loaf pan until all the buttered surface is covered, then turn the loaf pan upside down over a sink or garbage and tap out the excess flour. Set aside for now.
- In a small saucepan melt 125-gram unsalted butter, as soon as it is melted to avoid having to wait for the melted butter to cool, Stir in the 120-gram cold plain yogurt or crème fraîche or sour cream into the warm melted butter, lowering the temperature, so it is good to go right away.
- Wait for a few minutes then stir in the 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract and give it a quick stir, set aside for now.
- In a medium bowl, mash the 450-gram ripe bananas with a fork by hand, so there are some small chunks of banana left, Next, add one teaspoon of baking soda, give it a quick whisk and let sit for one minute.
- Then add 200-gram white sugar or superfine sugar, a pinch of salt, and pour over the melted butter/ yogurt/egg/vanilla mixture, give it a quick whisk.
- Add 250-gram all-purpose flour and 100-gram walnuts to the banana mixture and stir just until combined, it is important not to overmix the batter to keep the banana bread light.
- Pour the banana batter into the prepared loaf pan, and bake on the lower-middle rack until a tester comes out clean, about 55 to 65 minutes. The banana bread is nearing done when you can smell the lovely banana fragrance in your kitchen.
- Let the banana bread cool in the loaf pan for 10 minutes, then remove it from the loaf pan and set it on a wire rack to cool completely.
- Use a serrated knife to slice thick slices of banana bread. This banana bread is super on day one and even better on days 2 and day 3.
- Store leftover banana bread in a ziplock bag at room temp or in the fridge for up to 1 week.
For step by step pictures of how to make
→ Banana Bread
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