I’m a purist when it comes to banana bread: no nuts, no chocolate, no dried banana chips. I like my banana bread to taste like bananas. I love how something magical happens when bananas are baked; the sugars caramelize and intensify, making the bananas taste even more banana-y.
I’m always tempted to have a slice of banana bread when I go out for coffee, but I rarely give in because I usually end up disappointed. Too often store bought banana breads are too oily, too dry, or too bland.
The cure, of course, is homemade banana bread. I’m forever trying out new recipes in search of the one. To me, the ultimate banana bread needs to be moist, tender and filled with banana-iness.
This Bon Appetit recipe yielded a dark, moist, chewy loaf. There was plenty of banana flavour, but I just don’t think it’s the one for me. I like my loaves with a more mounded, domed top. I’m not give up my quest just yet, but in the meantime, I’m going to add this recipe to my tasty list.
i am moist, i am banana-y: i am banana bread!
Best Banana Bread Recipe from bonappetit.com
makes 1 mini loaf
- nonstick vegetable oil spray
- 1/2 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cups sugar
- 1 mashed ripe banana
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a mini loaf pan (5 3/4 x 3 1/4-inch) with nonstick spray. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, bananas, and oil in a large bowl until smooth. Add dry ingredients to banana mixture and stir just until combined. Scrape batter into prepared pan and smooth top.
Bake until a tester inserted into the center of bread comes out clean, 40-50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let bread cool in pan for 15 minutes. Run a knife around inside of pan to release the bread. Turn out onto rack and let cool completely. DO AHEAD: Banana bread can be made 3 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.
**I used 3 tiny, tiny loaf pans instead of the mini loaf pan listed above.
42 Comments
Dhruv Talwar says:
March 15, 2013 at 7:28 am
wow steph! another amazing recipe :)
I swear if you were my age, i’d have flown down and married you :P
Anyway, I’m really glad you started updating your blog again.
Love from India!
PS: Damn I wish it were easier to get ingredients here…
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Danielle says:
March 15, 2013 at 8:15 am
Give smitten kitchens “jacked-up banana bread” a try. It’s my go to recipe, never fails to impress.
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katie brigstock says:
March 16, 2013 at 9:15 am
Banana bread is a firm favourite of mine- I can’t wait to try out this version!
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Sue says:
March 17, 2013 at 2:04 pm
The Flour bakery banana bread recipe from Joanna Chang is my favorite. You may want to give it a try.
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Şifalı Bitkiler says:
March 18, 2013 at 5:45 am
I jut had it and it was awesome! Thank you for sharing!
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Kelven says:
March 18, 2013 at 5:16 pm
Like you I love my banana bread as well. Can’t wait to try this out :D
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w. says:
March 19, 2013 at 12:42 am
I went on a slightly manic search for the perfect banana bread recipe last year, and while I hesitate to call mine “perfect” (when is a recipe ever?), I’m pretty happy with it right now. :) just omit the nuts and it should hopefully hit the spot!
Ames says:
March 19, 2013 at 2:36 am
They look so cute! I love a good banana bread so will be sure to try this out :)
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March 19, 2013 at 8:22 am
Mmmm, I love banana bread, yours looks delicious!
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Megan says:
April 2, 2013 at 10:25 am
good
foodReply
Miguel Garcia says:
April 9, 2013 at 1:25 pm
IT IS HEAVEN
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April 29, 2013 at 2:52 am
This is a yummy banana bread for sure.
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Aj says:
May 3, 2013 at 5:51 pm
America’s test kitchen’s “Ultimate Banana Bread” is knock your socks off good. Plus they habve a ton of tips to ensure the perfect loaf.
http://www.americastestkitchen.com/recipes/detail.php?docid=25349
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Jon says:
May 5, 2013 at 8:21 am
Love banana bread , I often take old banana,s from the pantry that looks destine for the bin and turn it into bread but will give ur recipe a try thanks ,
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May 16, 2013 at 2:17 am
Thanks for the information, yummy is look so delicious, I like to eat that banana bread first, which is my favorite.
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Georgia says:
May 19, 2013 at 5:00 am
Gosh that looks gorgeous! I agree, banana bread is best unadulterated, although sometimes I think a few raisins can’t go amiss. Lovely blog!
http://thepescetarianpantry.blogspot.co.uk
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Sal says:
June 11, 2013 at 12:29 pm
This is the first time I’ve seen a banana bread recipe with 1 banana. Normally they call anywhere from 3-5 bananas. There was enough banana-ness, you said? Interesting.
This is the one that I normally use:
http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/banana_bread/And it has the dome that you’re looking for. ;-)
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santoshk91 says:
June 13, 2013 at 1:38 am
Really nice recipe! I will make it at home…Thanks for the lovely dish.
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Nicole says:
June 24, 2013 at 7:43 pm
I love the flour bakery recipe! It’s my new favorite.
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Sumon Ahmed says:
June 24, 2013 at 11:31 pm
Awesome food blog. I am really happy to see the Best Banana Recipe in the nice Food Blog.
Thanks for sharing.Reply
Guido says:
June 27, 2013 at 2:38 am
Wonderful! It look so delicious, i knew banana bread in england and now i love it!
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Ruxandra @Gourmandelle says:
July 8, 2013 at 11:39 pm
I love your blog! I recently discovered it and will surely follow your posts. This banana bread recipe looks delicious :D Can’t wait to try it myself.
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Bhawani says:
July 23, 2013 at 10:31 pm
Hi,
I cook Banna Bread the way you cooked.It won’t be too oily too?
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Tara Estacaan says:
August 7, 2013 at 2:47 am
Thank you, for the simple recipe. I am going to use this one for my banana bread. :)
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amber asoque says:
August 8, 2013 at 6:41 am
this recipe is somehow similar to the Banana cake that we have here in our country. wanna taste that one ♥
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Lisa says:
October 4, 2013 at 11:07 am
My absolute go to favorite recipe is from the Flour Bakery cookbook by Joanna Chang. So good every time and it always gets compliments. I also freeze my super ripe bananas and I’ve noticed that brings out the banana-y flavor.
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Victoria Doan says:
November 6, 2013 at 7:40 pm
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! I just used 1/4 of sugar rather than 1/2 and it’s still scrumptious!!!
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Maira Sarwar says:
November 8, 2013 at 5:54 pm
Hi Steph,
I am definitely going to try this recipe for banana bread! I usually don’t make it from scratch and instead use the box recipe. However, I find that after the banana bread is booked, it’s too oily or doesn’t taste right. I also find it hard to tell if it is cooked properly and because of this I often burn the edges or the bottom! I hope your recipe works for me! Thank you!
– Maira Sarwar
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olive says:
December 8, 2013 at 2:12 pm
i’m not a frequent baker, but when i do, i always try out different recipes with good reviews.
this is a very simple recipe that outputs a flavorful and moist banana bread that my family loves.
the difference was that i used bread flour instead of all purpose, and reduced the sugar down to 1/4 cup with double portion everything else to suit our low sugar preference.
thanks for sharing! :)Reply
RB says:
April 30, 2014 at 10:45 pm
Tried this yesterday. Turned out brilliant. Everyone loved it. Have been ordered to make more today! Thanks a lot for sharing the recipe.
Also, can I substitute a banana for any other fruit? Strawberry, Blueberry, Mango, etc? Will be interesting how those breads turn out. Banana bread no doubt is a classic.. its just that it turned out so well when I made it yesterday that I can’t help but think of the other possibilities!
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Lucy says:
October 28, 2014 at 10:15 am
Banana bread is my favourite. Give this Nigella Lawson recipe a go if you want banana bread perfection.
175 grams plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
½ teaspoon salt
125 grams unsalted butter (melted)
150 grams caster sugar
2 large eggs
4 small very ripe bananas (mashed)
1 teaspoon vanilla extractGlaze with icing sugar :)
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Rheza says:
January 24, 2015 at 2:45 am
I love your blog
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marie says:
November 30, 2015 at 8:02 am
I too searched for many years for the optimal banana bread recipe. At my company, my director of human resources took lovely care of us each day. Every once in a while, we would begin to detect a distinct harbinger of our favorite treat as the incredible aroma of Lynda’s banana bread began to fill to office. She shared the recipe with us all. This recipe has definitely turned into my go to recipe. I often leave out the nuts and I have also found that if I do not have blackened ripe bananas, I merely need to put the yellow ones into the oven at about 200 for about 30 minutes. They turn black, soften and produce a liquid that adds to the moisture of the bread – I think it might even be better when I take this approach.
Ingredients:
¾cup coarsely chopped walnuts (3 ounces)
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup canola oil
3 medium overripe bananas, mashed (1 ¼ cups)
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extractInstructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray. Spread the walnuts in a pie pan and toast in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant; let cool.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking soda, cinnamon and salt. In another bowl, combine the sugar, eggs and oil and beat at high speed until light-colored and creamy. Add the mashed bananas and vanilla and beat until smooth. Stir in the dry ingredients until thoroughly blended. Fold in the nuts.
3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is springy and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the loaf cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning it out onto a rack to cool completely.Reply
Grace says:
January 9, 2016 at 7:17 pm
Your banana bread recipe has become my GO TO tummy pleaser for the past year. How many banana breads did I make? LOTS heh-heh.
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Ashley Jones says:
September 7, 2021 at 4:51 pm
this sounds absolutley delicious, great for leftovers probably! thanks for giving the different twists so I can try a different one each time.
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