The best banana bread recipe! It is always moist, full of flavor and rises high. It doesn’t get any better than this!
There are just some recipes that you don’t mess with. You know, those recipes that really do come out just the way you want them every single time. The ones that if you ever venture and try a different recipe it leaves you full of regret, knowing that you should have just gone with your old trusty, because nothing else quite measures up. This banana bread is one of those recipes for me.
I am not quite sure how long it has been in my family, but I can never remember using another banana bread recipe in our house. It very well could have been my mom’s mom’s recipe as well. And as a lover of all things carb filled and baked, I can tell you that this is a keeper. So do what you need to do. Pin it, print it out, screen shot it -whatever- but make sure you save this little gem.
I am definitely picky about my baked goods and banana bread is no exception. I am a purist. It needs not be packed with all sorts of other goodness like chocolate, marshmallows, strawberries, cinnamon or anything else that looks heavenly floating through my Pinterest feed. What I need in banana bread is for it to be moist and full of flavor. For it to rise high and be golden brown. For the inside to be so soft and chewy, but the outside to have just the slightest bit of crunch. That is my kind of banana bread.
This recipe isn’t revolutionary. It is pretty simple as far as baked goods go, but sometimes simple is best, and I think that is true in this case.
First mix your dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Next cream your shortening and sugar. I use my KitchenAid, but did it by hand for years. You have to be very careful with the KitchenAid not to over mix it. Add the eggs to the sugar mixture and cream until smooth.
Next you want to peel your bananas and thoroughly mash them in another small bowl. One key to having perfect banana bread is having super ripe bananas. A nice yellow banana isn’t going to cut it. You want those babies to be brown. Almost to the point where you think… “Should I throw these away?” Only the answer is, NO! Definitely do not throw them away. Make banana bread with them! To mash them just peel them, pop them in the bowl and then use whatever you want to squish them up. I like to use a fork, but a potato masher or a blender works great too.
Now you will just simply alternate adding the flour mixture and the banana into your sugar mixture blending between each addition until it is just combined. Make sure not to blend too much, simply mix it until it just comes together then add more until you are out of both. This is usually about 3 additions of each for me.
The batter will be pretty thick and delicious at this point. Spray your baking pans with cooking spray. I like to use 3.25″ loaf pans { The small ones} and I get 5 loafs. You can get about 2 medium loaves or one large loaf from this recipe.
Fill the pan about 2/3 full with the batter. Since I have five little pans when I bake this I like to set them all on a cookie sheet to make it WAY easier to take them in and out of the oven.
Bake the bread at 350˚ F for 30-35 minutes for the small pans, 40-50 minutes for the medium, or 60-70 for the large. Make sure that a toothpick comes out clean when you insert it into the middle. A HUGE tip here… please, whatever you do, DON’T overcook this bread. It is a delicious recipe, but nothing will ruin it faster than overcooking. When you cut into the bread if the golden color from the crust appears as if it extends farther into the bread, it is over cooked. The best thing to do in my opinion, is to err on the side of caution and set the timer on the early side and check it every 3-5 minutes or so until it is perfectly done. You don’t have to do this every time. Just until you know how your oven cooks with the pan size you prefer. The next time you will know the perfect time to set the timer.
That’s it! Pretty simple for some pretty amazing banana bread! I hope you love this recipe and it will be come handed down in your family just like it has been in mine! {Scroll to the bottom for FULL printable recipe}
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Ingredients
- 3 1/2 c flour
- 2 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2/3 c shortening
- 1 1/3 c sugar
- 4 eggs slightly beaten
- 2 1/2 c bananas 3-4, mashed
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350.
Sift flour, add baking powder, soda, salt, and sift again, set aside.
Cream shortening and add sugar gradually. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and mix until smooth.
Add dry ingredients alternately with mashed bananas. Stir just enough to combine thoroughly- do not beat.
Pour into greased loaf pan(s). 5 small, 2 medium, 1 large.
Bake small - 30-35 minutes medium- 45-50 minutes large- 60-70 minutes
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.)
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FAQs
Using too much baking soda/powder can lead to banana bread sinking issues (as the banana bread might rise too high & collapse back on itself). Always make sure to level off the baking soda/powder in your measuring spoons.
Why is my banana bread always so dense? ›
As tempting as it may be to dump all those overripe bananas into your batter, four medium-sized bananas are typically the most that a single loaf of banana bread can accommodate — any more and you're likely looking at a loaf that's going to be dense and heavy rather than soft and moist in the middle.
Why do you not put baking powder in banana bread? ›
Simply, batter is wet and your baked good is dry, so all of the moisture mixed into the batter will be driven off to rise. Its mind boggling, but rising agents like baking powder and baking soda do NOT make baked goods rise. They simple create the bubbles for steam to expand and grow in the baked good.
What is the disadvantage of banana bread? ›
You may find banana bread delicious, but conventional banana breads tend to be high in added sugar, refined carbs, and calories. Thus, it's best to enjoy banana bread occasionally as part of a balanced, nutrient-dense diet.
Why is my banana bread still gooey after an hour? ›
Bake for longer: If the center of your banana bread is still gooey, you may need to bake it for a longer time. Check the bread every 5-10 minutes by inserting a toothpick into the center. If it comes out with moist crumbs, continue baking until the toothpick comes out clean or with a few dry crumbs.
Why is my banana bread not spongy? ›
When it comes to banana bread, moisture is key, and the ratio of flour to banana makes all the difference in getting the perfect banana bread consistency. If you use too much flour, you'll end up with really dry banana bread, and If you don't use enough flour, your banana bread will be way too wet.
How can I make my bread lighter and fluffy? ›
Add Sugar
Adding sugar weakens the gluten structure, absorbs water, and eventually makes the bread lighter and softer. As a result, sugar improves the bread's taste, structure and texture. Yeast also eats up sugar to produce carbon dioxide, which raises the dough and makes bread fluffy.
What happens if you put too much flour in banana bread? ›
Using too much flour makes for an extra crumbly bread.
If you're tapping your measuring cup to level out flour as you measure, or you're pushing down the piled-up powder, you'll end up using too much of it. I packed my flour for this loaf, and what I got was a crumbly cake with a dry crust all around.
How long to let banana bread cool before taking out of the pan? ›
Let it cool for 10 minutes — this helps the loaf solidify and makes it easier to remove from the pan. Remove from pan and cool another 10 minutes. Grasping the parchment paper sling, lift the loaf out of the pan and place on the cooling rack. Cool for another 10 minutes before slicing.
Is banana bread better with baking soda or baking powder? ›
As a general rule, you can use either baking soda OR baking powder in banana bread – both ingredients will make your banana bread rise. While baking soda will react with acidic ingredients in the batter to raise your bread, baking powder can leaven banana bread without the addition of acidic ingredients.
*The chlorophyll in sunflower seeds may react with baking soda, causing the center of the bread to turn a green color when cool. This is completely harmless! To help keep bread from turning green, you can reduce baking soda by half, or a splash of lemon juice in the batter may also help.
What happens if you put too much baking soda in banana bread? ›
Using too much baking soda or baking powder can really mess up a recipe, causing it to rise uncontrollably and taste terrible.
Can you put too much banana in banana bread? ›
Fight the urge to use more banana than called for in your recipe. Using too much banana could make your bread heavy and damp in the center, causing it to appear undercooked and unappealing. If you have bananas leftover, you can always freeze them for later use.
At what point should you not use bananas for banana bread? ›
If they smell off, that's another good indicator that they are no longer okay to use. Rotten bananas will often have a fermented or alcohol-like smell. While it's okay if the banana peel is dark brown or even black, if the inside is too, then the fruit is beyond ripe and now on its way to rotten.
What happens if you put too many eggs in banana bread? ›
Using too many eggs
The result could be a banana bread that is dense, spongy, and rubbery. Given that this baked treat is already a hefty product, you will want to avoid these unappetizing textures. According to The Cake Blog, over doing it on the egg addition can also affect flavor.
How to keep bread from falling after baking? ›
This tip applies to loaves specifically. For recipes like banana bread, lemon loaf, or pound cake, your best bet is to bake in a metal loaf pan. Metal is a quick and efficient conductor of heat. This helps to ensure your recipe will cook through the center and not collapse.
Why does bread collapse when baking? ›
Overproofing the dough
The loaf has already reached its limits and when we put it in the oven the loaf will just deflate. The slightest knock and the carbon dioxide pockets in the loaf will push against the pushed to the limit gluten structure and the whole thing will collapse.
Why does my bread fall apart after baking? ›
Too much flour and not enough water can cause crumbly bread – people often do this if the dough is too sticky and they add more flour rather than kneading through it. Other culprits can be overproving or not kneading enough – the things you need to do to get a good structure.
What causes homemade bread to fall while baking? ›
Bread that Falls or Collapses Can Be Caused By:
Too much liquid – Try decreasing water or milk by one to two tablespoons. Remember to look at your dough after a few minutes of kneading and see if it's a smooth, round ball. If the dough is too dry add liquid a teaspoon at a time until the dough balls up.
