Banana Bread

Banana bread is one of the most popular loafs at home and one that we bake very frequently! It is the definition of comfort! Extra ripe bananas are always a happy sight because it always means banana bread is in our near future!

Banana bread is easy to make and can be enjoyed anytime with a cup of coffee or tea - it is best enjoyed warm. I personally love to warm up my slice and spread some peanut butter and jam on top! Highly recommended and addictive combination - I urge you to try it out!

Tips for the best Banana Bread

Bananas

The star ingredient! Banana bread is best prepared with extra ripe bananas - if you have some overly ripe bananas and cannot bake immediately freeze the bananas until you're ready to bake some banana bread. Just take out the bananas from the freezer and allow to thaw completely before mashing.

Buttermilk

Buttermilk helps break down the gluten to provide a soft, tender texture. It also helps activate the baking powder and baking soda in the batter which results in soft, fluffy bread.

No buttermilk? no problem! you can make your own substitute for buttermilk by adding lemon juice or white vinegar to whole or 2% milk. For every 1 cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar. Stir and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes. The acid will curdle the milk slightly. Use your substitute, curds included, in the recipe or any other recipe that requires buttermilk.

Room Temperature Ingredients

This may not seem very important and often if you're in a hurry or impatient you will skip this step. I promise you there is a legitimate reason why this recipe and many others call for room temperature eggs, butter, buttermilk & bananas. Room temperature ingredients bond together very easily since they are warmer, creating a smooth and seamless batter and ensures a uniformly textured baked good. When combined in the batter, these warmer ingredients form an emulsion which traps air that expands while baking in the oven and result in fluffy baked goods ]Cold ingredients do not incorporate together as easily - this can result in many failures like clumpy, flat or dense breads/cakes.

Ingredients

3-4 large extra ripe bananas, mashed

1 tsp lemon juice

2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter, room temperature

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk, room temperature

1 cup Chopped walnuts or chocolate chips - adjust quantity to your preference

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F

2. Butter and flour a loaf or bundt pan

3. Mash the bananas until creamy and stir in the lemon juice. Set aside. If using frozen bananas allow the bananas to warm up to room temperature before mashing.

4. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients together, set aside.

5. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars. Beat in the eggs until combined.

6. Add in the buttermilk and vanilla extract. Beat until combined.

7. Fold in the mashed bananas.

8. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients and mix gently until everything is well incorporated. Do not over mix.

9. Fold in chopped walnuts or chocolate chips.

10. Pour batter in pan and sprinkle some extra chopped walnuts or chocolate chips on top.

11. Bake on middle rack for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Check in on the 1-hour mark as oven performances vary. Remove when a cake tester, skewer, or toothpick comes out clean.

12. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes on a cooling rack then remove from the pan. Allow to cool for an additional 15 minutes before slicing to serve.

Banana bread can remain on your counter for 1-2 days. Place your cooled loaf on a plate and cover it in plastic wrap, or store it in an airtight container. If you're not planning on eating within these few days, you can refregirate or freeze the banana bread. I prefer to slice the banana bread, wrap each slice and freeze individually. Freeze for up to 2 months. Whenever you're craving banana bread or have no time to make breakfast, pop a slice out of the freezer and allow to thaw on your countertop for 20-30 minutes or zap in the microwave if you're impatient.