Ima fanna banana bread.
Bananas on oatmeal. The banana split. Banana Turkish Taffy (remember that?). Banana cream pie. Heck, mashed bananas right out of the Gerber’s baby food jar… Is there an American alive today who didn’t encounter the ubiquitous banana numerous times during childhood? But never mind childhood: the banana is the most popular fruit in America today. Pretty amazing, for a fruit that’s commercially grown in only a single American state: Hawaii.
Think about it: apples, berries, peaches, watermelon, all are grown in lots of states across the country. But the banana? Here are a couple of facts that might surprise you: Bananas are America’s #1 fruit. And they aren’t grown commercially in the continental United States. That’s right: every banana we slice onto our cornflakes is brought in from across the sea. And since every American enjoys an average of 28 pounds of bananas a year (and 96% of American households purchase bananas at least once a month), that’s one heck of a lot of bananas being shipped onto our shores (mainly from India, the world’s largest producer of bananas).
Which leads me to one of my favorite comfort foods, banana bread. Beloved of beginning bakers everywhere, this retro classic has been fancied up over the years with outlandish spices, an array of nuts, other fruits, sometimes even icing. But at the end of the day, my favorite version is still the original mahogany brown, moist/crumbly, aromatic bread of my youth.
The aroma and deep flavor of ripe bananas dominate this loaf; a scattering of nuts (walnuts or pecans only, please) give it textural contrast. I’ve been known to warm banana bread gently, and spread it with butter (or even cream cheese). But truth to tell, it’s just as good eaten plain and cold. And how many breads can make that claim?
Here’s my favorite Banana Bread recipe. We’ve been developing recipes for a new section of our online recipe site, Guaranteed Classics—due to debut later this summer—and this is the first recipe I nominated for inclusion. Classic? What could be more so than Banana Bread?
The first thing you need to know about banana bread is this: use over-ripe bananas. The riper the bananas, the more banana flavor your bread will have. These are just barely ripe enough for banana bread. If you have any bananas that are way beyond slicing onto your cereal, they’re PERFECT for banana bread.
The next thing you’ll do is mash the bananas. Easiest way is to put them in a zip-top bag, leaving it open about 1/2” at the top for air to escape.
Flatten and squeeze with your hands till the bananas are mashed up.
Let’s start with butter, sugar, spices, leavening, and salt—sounds good to me!
Beat till well combined.
Beat in the mashed bananas, jam, honey, and eggs. The mixture won’t be smooth; don’t fret. Keep beating.
We’re about to add the “secret ingredient”—
King Arthur Flour! Flour makes the (baking) world go ’round. Stir in the nuts along with the flour.
Spread the fairly thick batter in a lightly greased 9” x 5” loaf pan.
Put the bread in the oven, and watch those leaveners make it rise!
Craggy, some might say homely, but eminently satisfying, we give you: Banana Bread!
OK, let’s back up a bit. If you have a scale, there’s no need to mash the bananas before using them. Just chunk up 12 ounces of peeled bananas, and add them along with the jam, eggs, etc.
And, here’s the bread using two different flours: King Arthur White Whole Wheat at the top, and King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose at the bottom. Notice the all-purpose flour loaf rose a tiny bit more; but other than that, they’re indistinguishable, including taste-wise. This is definitely a good opportunity to get some whole wheat flour into your family’s diet.
Finally, here’s the same loaf baked in a 12” x 4” tea loaf pan, which makes a longer, slimmer loaf. With smaller pieces—nice for those of us on the constant diet…
Check out our recipe for Banana Bread.
And check out my daffodils:
Warm, sunny days—a whole weekend in the ’70s, incredibly unusual for this time of the year up in our neck of the woods—brought my daffodils out in full force. If you don’t have blooming daffodils in your yard, be my guest—enjoy these!
April 21st, 2008 at 12:40 pm
More of a question, than a comment…
I love banana bread, and have tried several recipes. Most of the time, they come out very well, but on a few occasion, the bottom 1/3 come out very moist and dense, with no signs of rising.
What gives?
BTW, love the banter; thanks for all the info and recipes!
PS. Haven’t had the chance to try this banana bread recipe yet…
April 21st, 2008 at 1:28 pm
Hm-m-m, will have to try this banana bread; sure looks tasty!! Love the daffodils, a flower that has to be treated as an annual here in Florida - just not the same effect somehow.
Now a question for you, something I’ve tried to have answered a couple of times before - the recipe for Easy Cinnamon Bread posted on the KA Flour website calls for an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2″ pan which I found is too small; a 9 x 5″ pan is perfect. I keep checking back to see if the pan size has been changed……..not so far!!
Love the Bakers’ Banter and, of course, the great recipes. THANKS!
April 21st, 2008 at 3:33 pm
The banana bread recipe looks good. When I have bananas too dark for my husband to eat(I eat them even mushy) I throw them in the freezer, in their skins until I want to use them. Take them out,peel just as they begin to thaw an &let them sit in a bowl with until they’re really gross looking with the oil separating out them use them in the recipe. Great banana flavor, but don’t let your husband or kids see it while it thaws or they won’t eat it.
April 21st, 2008 at 5:01 pm
I sure love the Baker’s Banter with such great step-by-step photos….and your conversational-style tips answer questions I might have had. These inspire me enough to say, “I can do that!” Keep bringing on the healthful whole grain options in the recipes. I look forward to your next blog!
April 21st, 2008 at 7:46 pm
Hello. My wife and I have to beg a personal difference with the state of ripeness of the bananas usually used in making banana bread.
We found by experimenting, that using bright yellow, no brown spots or blackness showing at all bananas makes a very delicate flavored banana bread that my wife and I have received many raves on. We personally are not attracted by the heavy flavored banana bread that is obtained from using ripe/very ripe bananas.
Try it… you just might like it.
Roger
April 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
A suggestion.
After freezing our fingers whenever we tried to peel frozen bananas, we started peeling them first and then wrapping them in plastic wrap. Much, much easier and warmer to our ingers. The liquid in the bananas will separate as they thaw but will incorporate back into the mix when mixing with the rest of the bread ingredients. Good way to save those ripe and getting riper bananas for future banana bread baking.
Roger
April 21st, 2008 at 7:52 pm
Hi All;
Banannnannas,,, the darker (black is not to be discarded) the more sugar/flavor for the B bread. I had one in the fridge at work in a plastic bag, had to eat it with out anyone seeing me, ya know the comments I would have got.
Great B bread recipe, always looking for embellishments/derivations. I never use nuts, they interrupt the texture.
This looks like a new subject for research, I have been collecting potato salad recipes for a few years, most will not give the details, just providing the basic n additions to their “secret recipe”.
List n form regarding this project available from me at dcaservice@comcast.
April 21st, 2008 at 8:06 pm
Hi, love the easy to follow directions in the banana bread, good idea to show the whole process too.
I have a question, can I substitute oil for the butter in this recipe? My husband is allergic to butter.
Thanks
April 21st, 2008 at 9:55 pm
Here’s a hint I came up when I used to bake Banana Bread as as teenager years ago. My family raised pecans and of course we used them in just about every recipe..I just didn’t like the way the larger pieces tore out of the bread when it was sliced..so I used a grater and made fine grounds of the nuts and it made the slicing easier and oh..did it load every bite with the wonderful tase of pecans!! ( Since that time I learned from our shellers that pecan meal is available from them, and most larger mail order pecan catalogs.!) Try it!!
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:31 am
Carol, I THINK you could substitute oil, though I haven’t tried it - the recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter, so I’d substitute 1/3 cup oil (since butter also has milk solids along with the fat). Hope it works!
April 22nd, 2008 at 8:21 am
Looking forward to trying this recipe out. I do have a favourite bb recipe but always ready to try another one. If your bb appears to be too moist as mine has been, I have found that adding dried blueberries puffs up the blueberries and tastes quite yummmy. It is a good combination of bananas. dried blueberries, cinnamon and pecans.
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:23 am
Edward, you can buy pecan meal right here through The Baker’s Catalogue, too - even us Northerners love pecans, in ALL their forms!
April 22nd, 2008 at 2:58 pm
PJ HAMEL,
IF USING THE TEA LOAF PAN WHAT IS THE BAKING TIME FOR THIS BANANA BREAD?
THANKS.
April 22nd, 2008 at 5:23 pm
Believe it or not, Barbara - same time, same temperature. Though the pan is slimmer and longer, it’s also ceramic rather than metal - so it all evens out in the end.
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:51 pm
Hi. Tried the banana bread today and, although it tastes delish, there was too much batter for the 9×5 pan (which I measured first), dripped all over the floor of oven until I put a cookie sheet underneath. I followed the recipe word for word, but also added another 1/2 cup walnuts. Would this have caused my overflow problem?? Thanks.
April 22nd, 2008 at 7:43 pm
Yup, Jenny, that extra 1/2 cup of volume from the nuts pushed the batter over its limit; it fills the pan pretty full without the nuts. If you ever have any question, put the pan on a baking sheet lined with parchment before putting it in the oven; that way, if it DOES overflow - no cleanup!
April 22nd, 2008 at 9:52 pm
Thanks, will do. The bread is outstanding with almond butter. Give it a whirl. Love your recipes, site, baking sheet etc. You guys rock!!
April 23rd, 2008 at 8:01 am
Barbara, I was talking with one of my fellow bakers today, and she said she baked the banana bread in the tea loaf pan, and it baked 20 minutes less… So I’d say, start testing at 50 minutes, and take it from there.
April 24th, 2008 at 2:51 pm
I hope that when you launch the new recipe site that you include an area where everyone can store your many recipes Thank you
April 25th, 2008 at 3:12 pm
Hi. Is there anyway to speed up the ripening process with bananas? My family doesn’t leave them long enough for me to make banana bread very often and I would love to make it more often.
April 25th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I tried this recipe and I was disappointed. The bread is more like a date nut bread than a banana bread, and I cant really say why.
I only know I wouldnt make it again.
The bread came out fine, it is edible, but the taste isnt bananas..
April 25th, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Leeds - sounds to me like your bananas weren’t ripe enough? If you try it again, use black bananas… or, just stick with a recipe you like - that’s always a good option!
Patti - two ways to get ripe bananas: 1) hide them till they’re ripe! A closet works well. 2) Put them in a paper bag and close the bag - I believe the ethylene gas they release will help them ripen more quickly. Good luck!
April 26th, 2008 at 8:05 am
I’ve been making banana bread since I was knee high to a grass hopper. It was one of the first things I remember baking on my own. The recipe I use calls for alternating the smashed bananas with the flour when you add it to the creamed butter and sugar. It’s interesting how these two different recipes come out looking very similar.
My MIL suggested putting the bananas in the fridge, they turn black and ripen nicely. My kids have decided they don’t like bananas unless it’s in banana bread so i just have find the time to make the bread.
April 29th, 2008 at 7:43 pm
i made this in a long tea pan and it turned out just like you said it would the best Banana bread
May 9th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
Made this yesterday, and it was fab! I had only the smaller 8 1/2″ pan, but it was fine. Altho I omitted any kind of nuts - I was out of stock :>)
Used the whole wheat flour. The loaf was quite dark but WONDERFUL. Best Banana Bread ever! Moist and so flavorful. My daughter gave it 100% but said she wanted mini choc chips next time.
May 17th, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I’m officially a banana hater - or was! Decided to try this recipe to take to a baby shower. I added a half cup or so of plumped golden raisins, as well as the nuts. Got many requests for the recipe and the leftovers. I think, for me, that the apricot jam made the difference.
May 21st, 2008 at 11:06 am
I have to tell you I made this bread twice and both times it was wonderful. First time, I had time to shell walnuts (the nuts in packages just don’t seem to compare to fresh out of the shell…). The second time, no time to shell nuts - and it was equally gorgeous without them.
I found orange marmalade with the skin cut into tiny bits instead of in shreds (first time I’ve ever shopped for marmalade) and it was, to me, what made this banana bread the BEST I’ve ever eaten: those little bright bursts of orange gave it interest without overwhelming it. Of course the texture and moistness also beats out any banana bread I’ve ever made.
I can say I wasn’t much of a fan of banana bread before: it was one of those things I made when I blew it and let the bananas go too long and felt guilty so I did someting with the bananas to keep them from going totally to waste. But this recipe is one I made just because it’s good. In fact, the second time I made it was for other people (tested the recipe to eat at home the first time) and I planned ahead, buying bananas a week before I made it, to let them go black. (I never thought I’d deliberately let bananas go black.) My first attempt I used a teflon-coated loaf pan that (in my quirky oven) made the outside too dark, close to burnt. So I bought two very shiny loaf pans just for this recipe, doubled it and made a whole lot of hard-working people happy.
This is now ‘my’ banana bread recipe! I know I’ll be making it again and again. Thanks!