JB’s Banana Bread

The wait is finally over! After weeks of testing, tweaking and plenty of tasting, my banana bread recipe is finally ready to share. Crispy golden top, caramelised sides, and a soft crumb with big banana flavours that slices like a dream. Let’s go!

Banana Bread

“Now we can post banana bread!” Those were Nagi’s words when we agreed that I was going to start publishing recipes under my name. So, my friends, now is the time! Those spotty, forgotten bananas on your bench are about to be put to good use.

I must admit, before starting working on this recipe, I didn’t have a go-to banana bread recipe. But I’ve eaten plenty of them, so I knew exactly what I was after. I had a clear idea of the flavour, the texture and the ingredients I wanted, after that, it was just a matter of testing, tweaking and baking again (and again!) until it was just right. The RecipeTin Eats way.

My first tests turned out well, and I was happy with the results. But then we decided that it should be a taller loaf. That’s when I ran into few difficulties finishing the recipe. The centre of the loaf was taking longer to cook, which meant the sides were starting to dry out. And the more you test, the more questions you create. Can we make it better? What happens if we change this? Suddenly the list of iterations grows. Different sugars, different spices, more eggs, less flour, no butter, more oil, baking powder instead of baking soda, shorter bake, longer bake, covered, uncovered. As we always say, the last 5% is always the hardest. That’s the part that makes it perfect. But 30 something banana breads later, here we are with a great recipe I am ready to share. 😊

Ingredients

Let’s talk about the bananas! They don’t have to be very overripe. Spotty or mostly brown bananas work the best because they are sweeter, but I’ve also tested this recipe with just-ripe ones, yellow, with no brown at all, and the result was just as good.

1. Bananas

Bananas – The main character here. Use the regular bananas you see at your store every day. As I said above, I’ve tested this recipe with bananas at every stage, just-ripe and yellow, lightly spotted, heavily dotted and fully overripe, even blacker than the one shown above. They all worked well. The riper the banana, the sweeter and stronger the flavour, but even firm yellow bananas will give you a soft loaf with great banana taste.

2. Dry ingredients

• Flour – Plain flour / all-purpose flour – Gives the bread its structure.

• Baking soda – Also known as bi-carbonate of soda, it makes the loaf rise and keeps it light. Baking powder doesn’t work as well. The banana bread wouldn’t rise as much and its texture would be different.

• Cinnamon and allspice powder – My favourite spice mix for this recipe. Cinnamon brings warm sweetness, while allspice adds a gentle depth and a hint of clove and nutmeg flavour.

• Salt – cooking salt / kosher salt. It brings out the flavours of the other ingredients.

3. Wet Ingredients

• Brown sugar – I use only brown sugar for its light caramel flavour and extra moisture. It gives the bread a deeper taste and helps keep the crumb soft and tender. I did also test with a combination of white and brown sugar but found the texture and colour of the banana bread wasn’t as good.

• Eggs – 2 whole + 1 yolk, the whole eggs act as a binder and the yolk brings a little richness which was needed to give the crumb extra moisture without making it heavy. Use room temperature ones, large size (55g/2 ounces each).

• Butter – Adds the rich, buttery flavour we all love.

• Oil – Keeps the bread soft longer. It would be drier if we only use butter. Any neutral flavour oil can be used.

• Sour cream – As with the oil, the fat in sour cream helps create a soft crumb and prevent the bread from drying out. More importantly, its mild acidity is the key element needed for the baking soda to react and create the beautiful banana bread rise. Yoghurt is a great substitute. Avoid milk or buttermilk, they are thinner and can change the batter consistency, leading to a looser structure.

• Vanilla – rounds out and enhances the flavour.

How To Make Banana Bread

The method here is simple and straightforward, no special equipment needed. Just mix the dry and wet ingredients separately and combine them together gently. The key is not to overmix the batter, so the loaf stays soft and tender. Once it’s in the oven, all that is left to do is let the smell of banana bread fill your kitchen and enjoy. Unless your name is Nagi The Banana Hater.

1. Lining the pan

1. Scrunch a 40 cm / 16″ long sheet of baking / parchment paper, it becomes softer and makes it easier to press and stay in the pan.

2. Fit the paper into a loaf pan (21.5 x 11.5 x 7 cm / 4.5 x 8.5 x 2.75″). There’s no need to grease the pan to make the paper stick, just fit it in, the batter will weight it down. Leave overhang on the sides for easy lifting.

2. Making the batter and bake

1. Dry – Whisk the dry ingredients in a bowl (flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice). 

2. Mash bananas – In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas with a potato masher until mostly smooth.

3. Wet – Then add all the wet ingredients (brown sugar, eggs, melted butter, oil, sour cream, vanilla) and whisk until combined. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

4. Combine – Use a rubber spatula to mix until the flour is just incorporated. Having a few little flour lumps is ok, it’s better than overmixing which will make your banana bread firmer rather than soft.

5. Fill pan – Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface.

6. Bake – Put the banana bread into the oven preheated to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan-forced). Then bake for 70 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean (turning the pan around halfway through cooking). While cooking, a crack will naturally appear along the top of your banana bread. The centre continues to expand, it pushes through the firm crust, creating that classic split. It’s totally normal.

7. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan. The loaf should be nicely risen with a well-browned top and a crack along the centre.

8. Lift out and place on a wire rack. Let it cool for at least an hour before slicing. If you plan storing it for later, you will need to let the banana bread cool completely, this can take up to 6 hours. If you don’t, the residual heat will make the crust soggy and create excess moisture that will affect texture and shorten the shelf life. That said, if you urgently need a slice while it’s still warm, I completely understand! Just expect it to be a little softer and more delicate. 😊

How To Serve Banana Bread

This banana bread is delicious slightly warmed or at room temperature. But the most common way and still the best way is lightly toasted with a little butter on top. It works perfectly for breakfast, afternoon tea, or a quick snack during the day. If you want to turn it into a dessert, serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a dollop of Chantilly cream and some chocolate sauce.

This recipe took a lot of testing, but I’m happy with the result, a soft, tender loaf with great banana flavour that works every time. Simple ingredients, simple method, and a banana bread you can rely on.

I hope you enjoy baking and eating this one as much as I did. If you make it, please let me know how it turns out. Happy baking and bon appétit! – JB

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Watch How To Make It

In Memory of Dozer

This photo was taken before I officially joined RecipeTin Eats. At the time, I was catering a team lunch for them. Just another job, or so I thought. It was one of the very first time I met Dozer. From the moment I stepped into the kitchen, he planted himself right next to me and stayed there almost the entire lunch, observing and supervising. I thought he was finding his bearings as the new sous-chef… but really, he was the head chef. 🦮 ♥️