Banana Bread
MAKES
one 9 x 5 inch / 23 x 13 cm loaf
TAKES
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total: 1 hour 30 minutes
✻ ABOUT THIS RECIPE
For a richer, more cake-like version of this recipe, substitute sour cream for the yogurt. Other things I love to add to this banana bread: finely chopped chocolate (milk, semi-sweet, or bittersweet), cocoa nibs, roughly chopped nuts, and/or a swirl of nut butters or other spreads (like peanut butter, cookie butter, dulce de leche, or chocolate-hazelnut spread). See the Notes below the recipe for guidance on how much of these additions to include.
INGREDIENTS
about 345 g / 4 very ripe bananas, peeled
85 g / 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
80 g / ⅓ cup plain Greek yogurt
212 g / 1 cup light or dark brown sugar
113 g / 2 large eggs, at room temperature
10 g / 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
255 g / 2 cups all purpose flour
9 g / 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
3 g / ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt
turbinado sugar, as needed for finishing
Bake This Recipe with Me:
METHOD
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C with an oven rack in the center. Lightly grease a 9 x 5 inch / 23 x 13 cm loaf pan with nonstick spray.
2. In a large bowl, mash the bananas coarsely with a fork or mash more completely with an immersion blender. Whisk in the melted butter, yogurt, brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla until well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt to combine. Add the flour mixture to the banana mixture, and stir to combine using a silicone spatula. Scrape the sides and base of the bowl well to make sure the mixture is uniformly combined.
4. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and spread into an even layer. Generously top the surface with turbinado sugar. (Optional: Brush a paring knife with melted butter, and draw a long line down the center of the loaf - this will help the loaf split and rise more evenly.)
5. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until the edges of the loaf start to pull away from the edge of the pan, and a tester inserted into the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 60-75 minutes. (If the top of the loaf is becoming too dark before the end of bake time, cover the pan loosely with foil for the remainder of baking.)
6. Transfer from the oven to a cooling rack and run a small offset spatula gently around the edge of the loaf to separate it from the pan. Let the bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes before unmolding onto a wire rack to cool completely.
NOTES
Here’s some of my favorite things to add to dress up your banana bread:
Chocolate Chunk/Chips: Fold in 135 g / 1 cup finely chopped chocolate or chocolate chips at the end of step 3. Finish and bake as directed above.
Cacao Nibs: Fold in 60 g / ½ cup cacao nibs at the end of step 3. Finish and bake as directed above.
Nuts: Fold in 130 g / 3/4 cup coarsely chopped toasted nuts, such as walnuts, pecans, peanuts, or almonds at the end of step 3. Finish and bake as directed above.
Swirl: Place about 250 g / 1 cup of nut butter or spread into a disposable pastry bag, and use scissors to cut a ½ inch / 1 cm opening from the tip. In step 4, pour about half of the batter into the pan, and pipe about half of the spread over the surface. Pour the remaining batter into the pan, and pipe the rest of the spread over the surface. Use a skewer, small offset spatula, or butter knife to gently swirl the spread into the batter, without touching the bottom of the pan. Finish and bake as directed above.
✻ HAVE YOU BAKED IT?
Tag @emcdowell on Instagram or use #happybaking. I’d love to see your bakes!
